Hermione's Summer
by aleximoon
Summary: This fic takes place during the summer following GoF. It concerns Hermione and her love life (my favorite topic). I won't tell you what ship it is, you'll have to read to find out. The first chapter is in Bulgaria, the rest at the Burrow. Finished!!!!
1. The Departure

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except for poor sickly Uncle   
Luc. The owner of these characters is J. K. Rowling.  
  
Okay, this fic was originally posted ages ago, but I always wanted to repost it with the whole thing done. So let's see if this works. :)  
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Hermione opened her eyes, there was no light coming through her window. Checking her watch she realized that it was four in the morning, three hours more till Victor took her to the airport. Getting out of bed she proceeded to check her trunk for the fifth time. Hermione decided that she might as well get dressed and go eat an early breakfast. Slipping quietly into the hall she made her way to the staircase and down into the darkened foyer. She moved easily around furniture in the night filled rooms, she had been staying with Viktor Krum for a little over a month now and knew the lay out of the chateau's furniture.   
  
"I'll miss this place, Viktor too" she mused softly.   
  
It's not that Hermione wasn't happy here, in fact, this had been one of her happier summers. Bulgaria was a beautiful country. Viktor's parents had been so kind to her. Hermione was even starting to learn a bit of Bulgarian, which made communicating to the house elf a little easier. She almost laughed out loud when she remember her 'save the house elf campaign' SPEW. If any elf could disprove her theory of brainwashed victims, Gorky was definitely the one. The Krum's house elf had become down right cranky when she had tried to help liberate him in the first few days of her visit.   
  
Only a week into summer vacation word had arrived from Viktor's parents asking Hermione to stay with them for a month. Her parents hadn't been thrilled at the idea, but after Viktor's parents had sworn that Hermione and Viktor would be supervised, her parents had relented. They had insisted that she take a plane, not trusting any magical methods over such a far distance. So Hermione had flown from London to Sofia to see Viktor. When she had gotten off the plane she knew that she was in a different world. Flying over Bulgaria one could see that it was mountainous and wild. For a moment she was afraid of being in such a foreign place, but waiting for her at the gate with a hand written sign and a broad smile was Viktor. He had given her such a strong hug and he picked her up and spun her around. When he had put her down she was blushing a little bit.   
  
The Krum chateau was near the quaint village of Bansko high up in the mountains. She and Viktor had spent many days walking through this medieval town. She could remember the way the sun had shone so brightly on the cobblestones after the rain shower that had forced them under a tree in the middle of the town park. They had been out of breath and giddy, running to find shelter when the sudden rain started. Under the tree he had pulled her close, trying to shield her body from the rain with his own. Their breathing slowed and they stood quietly. Viktor's hand gently wiped a raindrop that had fallen onto the tip of her nose. And then just as gently he kissed her. His left arm around her, holding her close, his right hand cupping her face. He paused then, waiting to see if she would draw away, but when Hermione just stood there against him, her eyes closed, he kissed her again. This time the kiss was more passionate, more forceful, pulling her closer still. She had wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed against him. And as suddenly as the rain had started, it stopped. The sun came out again leaving them bathed in the brilliantly, burning sunlight. It had been the first time that Viktor had really kissed her.  
  
Hermione reached the large kitchen door and peaked inside. Gorky, who Hermione was sure never went to sleep, was cheerfully cleaning vegetables. He immediately bustled over to her and asked in choppy English if she was hungry. Hermione nodded and then went out to the dining room. She passed several trophies on the mantle above one of the various fireplaces in the Krum household. Smiling, she thought of the various Quidditch games that Viktor had taken her to. She always liked to watch Quidditch as long as there was someone playing that she knew. She had found that she could root for Viktor as easily as Harry. Hermione had accompanied Krum to two games that he actually played in. The last one had been against Italy. Viktor had caught the snitch almost immediately. It had been quite a victory; Italy was a heavy favorite for the world cup. With the final whistle being blown, Viktor had flown straight to Hermione; snitch still clasped in his hand, and swept her up onto the broom with him. The stands had gone crazy over this show of affection. Hermione blushed a deep red as Viktor kissed her passionately in front of the crowds. But she soon forgot about the game, the crowds, and the flashing cameras as Viktor crushed her to him. When he held her that tight, she lost track of time, the outside world seemed to fade as he kissed her.   
  
Viktor had even taught Hermione how to fly. She had known how but never very well. She couldn't control flying by reading books. He taught her how to go with the currents of the wind, how to let go of the ground beneath her and be free. Being taught how to fly meant more to her than she could ever tell him. Harry and Ron never really bothered to teach her. They considered it to be their own personnel hobby, but Hermione found that she loved it too. Viktor even gave her a broom, one of his old Nimbus 2000s. The broom was now sitting patiently on top of her trunk.  
  
The Dining Room was a beautiful affair with floor length windows and a table that could seat 16. The high ceiling was paneled with the same wood that the rest of the Chateau was made of. A fireplace that was large enough for five people to stand in was already lit by the time she arrived there.   
  
"Gorky must have secret passages all over this place" Hermione mused.   
  
Looking out one of the great windows she could just see a lightening in the horizon above the surrounding mountains. Great forests encircled the chateau; Viktor's parents had warned her that they held dangerous creatures. She remembered one fateful evening after dinner when she had taken a walk by the lake that bordered the woods. A letter from Ron clasped tightly in her hand she had become aware of something watching her, something following her. Hermione hadn't known why she snuck out to read the letter, maybe part of her hadn't wanted Viktor to know that Ron was writing to her. She had hurried up, finally breaking into a run, not hearing anything behind her, but knowing, knowing it was there. She was so close to the chateau when hands grabbed her from behind and forced her to the ground. Looking behind her she had come face to face with a vampire. The burning red eyes caught her gaze and she couldn't break it, she couldn't struggle. She had heard a voice in the back of her held telling her to fight, but her will faltered under the gaze of the creature. She had become aware of the elongated fangs coming down to her neck, hot breath ruffling her hair. Suddenly she had felt the vampire's grasp on her break. There was shouting and a curse in Bulgarian that she couldn't make out. Viktor had swept her up into his arms and had run into the house with her as the vampire disappeared into the woods. The next few hours had been a blur, the authorities had been called, and a doctor. A team of vampire hunters had gone into the woods, but the creature wasn't to be found. The doctor had given her a clean bill of health. When the house had emptied of strangers Viktor had turned to her with a look she had never seen before, fury. He had shouted at her as loud as he could, letting off his fury, anxiety, and fear. She had put her life into so much danger he had told her. And Hermione, the realization of how close she had come to dying had started to cry. Viktor, shocked out of his tirade, had cradled her against him. He had told her that he was in love with her that night and the letter from Ron lay out by the lake forgotten.   
  
Hermione pulled back one of the heavy, high-backed chairs as Gorky brought in a tray with a few different dishes on it and a letter. Sitting down she smiled at Gorky as he put the tray in front of her and then left. Sausage and eggs seemed to be for breakfast today, a glass of pumpkin juice accompanied it. Hermione lifted her napkin and smiled to herself when she saw the letter. Ripping it open she saw that it was from her parents. It did not contain plans to meet her at the airport, however, as she had expected.  
  
Dear Hermione,  
  
We're so glad that you are finally coming home; unfortunately your mother and I have some bad news. Your great uncle Luc has taken very ill. Your mother is thoroughly distraught and we've decided that the best thing to do is leave for France immediately. We've made arrangements with the Weasley's so that you'll stay with them until we return. We hope to be back before school starts again but with your uncle this ill we're not sure.   
  
Love Mum & Dad   
  
"Herm-own-ninny"?   
  
Startled, Hermione looked around the back of the chair to find Viktor standing in the doorway. "Oh good morning Viktor, I just got a letter from my parents".  
  
"Is everything all vight?" He asked as he sat down next to her. Gorky appeared almost as if summoned there with another tray of food.   
  
"My great uncle, the one that I visited in France the year before last is very ill. My parent's are going to be with him and I'm going to stay with the Weasleys until they return". She spoke all this in a hushed voice not wanting to wake Viktor's parents.   
  
Talking in a whisper also helped to mask the quiver in her voice, she was very fond of her uncle. He was one of the few members of her family that had accepted the witch in her with no problems.   
  
"The Veasley's? You could alvays stay here, vith me." He flushed as he said this, looking away from her into the fireplace.   
  
It never failed to amaze her how shy he could be with her sometimes. He was a world famous Quidditch player, he was older than her and yet he could be so shy. It was one of the things that she loved best about him.   
  
"I can't stay Viktor, I'm sorry, but I can't. I'm so desperate to be back in England. I hate to say it but I am rather homesick." She wasn't lying, she missed England dreadfully, she missed school, and more than anything she missed Harry and Ron. She wanted to go home.   
  
"Vell, ve aught to make the most of our time zhen." He smiled warmly at her but she saw the hurt in his eyes. It broke her heart to hurt him. She knew she loved him, but loving someone and being in love with them were two completely different things and she couldn't decide.   
  
They ate breakfast together and then went outside to watch the sun come up. Hermione sat on Viktor's lap, he had insisted so that her dress wouldn't get wet from the early morning dew. She was wearing muggle clothes today, customs officials got suspicious of people wearing long, bulky robes. His arms wrapped her tightly and her head was against his chest. The lake below them and the forest on the other side slowly started to brighten. The rosy sun gradually rose above the mountains. Viktor kissed her again and again. He traced her face with soft butterfly kisses as if making a mental picture of her, of this moment. He held onto her so tightly she was almost afraid that when the time came he wouldn't let her go.   
  
"Herm-own-ninny, I vant to give you something" Victor blushed slightly as he drew a small box from his robes.   
  
Hermione's eyes widened as she looked at the box, it was very old, made of wood with a few carvings on it.   
  
"Open it Herm-own-ninny" he urged.   
  
Taking the box from his hands she opened it to reveal a ring, not an engagement ring she thought, relief sweeping through her. It was an intricately carved silver band with a deep blue opal set into it.   
  
"Oh Victor" she gasped, her eyes filling with tears as she looked at it. It symbolized her leaving. "I can't.... I can't take it".   
  
"It vas my grandmother's, and yes, you can take it." He answered with a twinkle in his eyes. Before she could say another word he had slipped it onto her finger. "Zhis is so you von't forget, even if zhings don't vork out. Zhis vill symbolizes our friendship". And with that he kissed her again and led her back inside.  
  
  
  
"You vill send me an owl vhen you arrive, yes?" Victor had looked at her with such sadness it near killed Hermione. The plane was taxing down the run away, about to take off. As she stared out the window, all Hermione could think about was Krum and whether this was true love or not.  
  
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**Please Read&Review! 


	2. The Arrival

Disclaimer: All of these characters belong to J. K. Rowling.   
  
  
  
Hermione put her bookmark back between the pages, pausing to watch the picture as a miniature Viktor kissed a miniature Hermione. Sighing loudly she shut the book and looked out the window. The cotton clouds floated past dreamily as she flew closer to England. She put her book, Durmstrang: a beginning, back into her bag. Viktor had gotten that book for her; it was very similar to Hogwarts A History. She fingered the ring on her hand and smiled thinking of Viktor made her happy. Then slowly, another face crept into her mind, one that did not make her happy, Ron. Shifting to look out the window again she thought about Ron, the first time she had really done that since the incident with the vampire. There was no way to avoid Ron now if she was going to be staying with him. She had meant to tell him that she was going to Bulgaria, she hadn't intended on keeping it secret. But all she could remember was how angry Ron had gotten at the Yule Ball. She was so much happier if he wasn't angry, so she had waited to tell him about her summer plans. Soon, she had forgotten that she hadn't told him; she had forgotten almost everyone when she was with Viktor. The days turned into weeks, and soon she knew that if she told him now he would only be hurt. So Hermione decided to do the only thing she could thing of, she ignored her problem, "and now I'm going to pay for it" she muttered. She had talked to Ron, of course, they'd owled each other at least once a week. But Hermione had somehow managed to not mention Viktor or Bulgaria. Harry had been furious with her; he knew where she was vacationing. He had told her that Ron deserved to know, and there really wasn't any reason to keep it from him, but Hermione had waited. And now there was no avoiding the problem as she disembarked from the plane and came face to face with a group of red haired wizards.   
  
"Hermione!!" Mrs. Weasley stepped right up to her and hugged her tight. "I'm so sorry about your uncle dear, but I'm delighted that you're staying with us." Fred and George each gave Hermione a quick hug and smile. She turned to look at Ron he glowered back at her. There was a moment of silence and then her voice sounding much farther away than it was said.   
  
"Hullo Ron, how're you?"   
  
Ron just looked at her. He noticed the evil look that this mother was giving him over Hermione's head and leaned over and hugged her quicker than the twins and said, "I'm fine". He turned away from her then and walked out the doors. Mrs. Weasley glowered at her son's departing and back and said quickly to Hermione,   
  
"Don't worry dear, he's just sulking, didn't sleep well last night I think."   
  
"Yes dear" said Fred, "don't worry, little Ronneikins is just jealous".   
  
Hermione almost choked, she had paled suddenly and looked a little faint. George quickly took her arm to keep her from falling over and said "yes, jealous, see, he wanted to date Viktor Krum". Both twins burst into chuckles and Hermione, her color starting to return, smiled at them. At least they don't hate me, she thought.   
  
When everyone had settled into the car they started off. Ron sat in the front with his mother and Hermione sat between Fred and George in the back. They were fighting over who could put their arm around her. She was struggling hard not to break into near hysterical giggles. Mrs. Weasley smiled at her in the mirror and said, "You look like you've grown up Hermione. You seem taller, and don't mind my saying, but you've gotten very pretty, Bulgaria must be a wonderful place." Hermione couldn't help but notice that the backs of Ron's ears were getting pinker by the second. Fred and George were deep into their comic relief now, and only stopped when Hermione elbowed them both in the side. Mrs. Weasley was right about Hermione, she had gotten taller, at least an inch while being in Bulgaria. She had spent so much time outside with Viktor that she had tanned a deep gold. Her hair had even calmed down; on good days it laid in smooth waves down her back.   
  
Hermione suddenly noticed that a certain someone was missing, "Hey, where's Ginny?"   
  
"She's on vacation in Majorca with a friend" said Fred and George in unison.   
  
"She'll be back a week before school starts" said Mrs. Weasley, "So we have lots of extra space for you. And to be quite frank, I'm sure that I'll like having another woman around the house. " Hermione blushed slightly at this.   
  
When they reached the Burrow, Ron got out and went straight inside. "Oi! You slimy git! Aren't you going to help Hermione with her things!" George yelled at his brother's back.   
  
Hermione blushed, "No, no, I can get them, really".   
  
"Oh don't be silly Hermione" Fred said glaring at the front door as it slammed shut, "we'll help you get your stuff into Ginny's room." Fred and George carried Hermione's trunk up stairs to the first landing. Fred unceremoniously tossed her bag onto the bed and then plopped down next to it. George meanwhile dropped the trunk with a loud bang that seemed to wake up the attic ghoul high above them.   
  
"Don't bother looking Hermione" said Fred.   
  
Hermione looked startled, "looking for what Fred"?   
  
"Well" said George, "we've looked through Ginny's room twice already".   
  
Hermione raised her eyebrow with a disapproving look.   
  
"We think she took her diary with her" said Fred non chalantly looking under the bed.   
  
"And she cleaned out her candy stash" said Fred and George in unison.   
  
Fred grinned wickedly then and said "we have some candy in our room if you want some though." Remembering the Canary Creams and the Ton Tongue Toffees that were circulating Hogwarts last year Hermione demurred with a smile.   
  
"I... I think I had better go talk to Ron" Hermione said, her eyes on the floor.   
  
"Yeah" George said softly, "Yeah, you should probably do that". And with that the twins left the room. Hermione sighed deeply, willing her knees to not give way and walked up the stairs to Ron's room. There was no answer to her knock, but she knew he was there, she had heard the door close when the twins had brought her stuff upstairs. She opened the door and stepped in, Ron was lying on his bed looking up at the ceiling. He looked very pale and was clutching something in his hand.   
  
"Ron? Ron are you okay?" Hermione asked, worry lines appearing on her forehead.   
  
"Get out" he whispered not looking at her.   
  
"Ron, please... please, I'm sorry, I really am. I meant to tell you, I just got distracted. I'm so sorry Ron." Hermione moved forward and touched his arm.   
  
Ron jerked away from her touch, "GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" He yelled at the top of his lungs and pushed her away. Hermione's lip trembled and a tear slid down her cheek.   
  
"Ron, I was going to tell you, I didn't mean to keep it a secret, I just didn't want you to be angry with me." Hermione said this all very quickly the tears coming faster now.   
  
Ron was standing now, his back to her. "Do you know how I found out Hermione?" She was confused; she had assumed that he had found out when her parents contacted the Weasleys. "Do you know how I found out?" he asked again. His voice was cold and detached; he had never talked to her in a voice like that before. She shivered as he turned to look at her; his eyes were now emotionless and cold. "I found this Hermione". He brandished a wizard sports magazine at her. She was even now more confused then ever when suddenly she noticed a picture, a picture that made her feel sick. It was taken after the Bulgaria vs. Italy game; in it were Viktor and herself. Their arms were wrapped around each other, the two little people kept kissing, oblivious to the other people in the photo who smiled and waved up at her.   
  
"Oh God.... Ron..." Hermione began, but before she could finish he had grabbed her arm and pushed into the hallway. The door slammed shut and the lock clicked. Hermione stood in the hallway for a moment, confusion and pain all over her face and she cried silently. Another door opened down the hall, the twin's room. George popped his head out and looked at her worriedly.   
  
"Hermione?" He called. But she just turned and ran down the stairs to Ginny's room where she threw herself onto the bed and dissolved into tears. 


	3. At the Burrow

Disclaimer: All of these characters belong to J. K. Rowling.  
  
**I just want to thank everyone that has reviewed my fic, it really means a lot to me. :) Now I know that this chapter is short and I'm sorry. And also... I know that a lot of you are rooting for a H/H ending. While I don't know whom Hermione will end up with I do know that it won't be Harry. And again, I'm sorry. :)   
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Summer at the Burrow was a casual affair. Mr. Weasley and Percy worked long hours at the ministry while Mrs. Weasley bustled happily around the house. The twins were rarely seen out of their room, much to the chagrin of Mrs. Weasley who was worried about another resurgence of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes products. And Ron absolutely refused to speak to Hermione. At mealtimes he wouldn't even look at her. For the first couple of days she had tried to apologize again and again but to no avail. Things were starting to look up last Thursday. When Ron passed her the butter he had made eye contact for a moment. This fragile truce was soon ended, however, when an owl from Viktor arrived later that evening. Hermione finally gave up trying to make peace with Ron after that. "Ron can't be mad just because Viktor writes to me" she thought. In his last letter, Harry had advised Hermione to just give Ron time.   
  
"He's hurt and angry, but you know Ron, just let him work off some steam and he'll come to his senses."   
  
"Well that's certainly easy for him to say, he's not staying at Ron's house" Hermione thought miserably. However Hermione certainly hoped that Harry was right. Even though she missed Ron terribly, she decided to try and keep out of his way, staying up in Ginny's room and only appearing at meal times. After a week of this Hermione had already finished all of the homework that had been assigned for summer break from her teachers. She was hoping that her parents would come home soon, she loved the Burrow, but with Ron avoiding her, it wasn't the same. She didn't think that her parents would be returning any time soon though; their last letter hadn't been very optimistic. Now the only things that Hermione had to look forward to were the owls from Viktor that came every couple of days. The letters didn't always make her feel better though. She knew that Viktor loved her, but there was a nagging worry in the back of her mind, an apprehension that she didn't understand and couldn't place. Bulgaria had been so beautiful, Viktor so sweet and caring, she had been in another world. But she didn't know if she wanted to be in another world, so far from everything else that she loved. Sometimes she felt so distant and cut off. Lost in thought Hermione absentmindedly tugged on a loose thread attached to Ginny's yellow quilt. There was a great deal of yellow in the room. Hermione assumed that it was supposed to be cheery and happy, but at the moment it only helped to remind her about how miserable she was without Ron. Sighing deeply, she pulled a book out of her bag and started to read.  
  
There was knock on Ginny's door, the twins had taken to knocking recently after George accidentally popped in on Hermione in the bathroom, not that he had seen anything, but it had been a close enough call to make them both blush. After this incident the twins seemed to move more cautiously around the house. When they realized that Hermione was in a perfect state of attire they both came into the room.   
  
"C'mon Hermione, you've been locked up in this room for a week now, you're almost as bad as Percy", Fred said in a pleading voice.  
  
"Exactly like Percy," continued George "work, bedroom, work, bedroom, work, bedroom."  
  
"We should have his things sent to the office, then he'd have more time to brown-nose" Fred said with a devious look.  
  
"I know" George agreed, "just think of all the time he loses in the apparation process, whole seconds on end, down the drain."  
  
"We really would be doing him a favor," grinned Fred, obviously thinking it over.  
  
"Hey Fred, do you reckon Mum has any old boxes? We could go pack for him right now" George started to proceed to the door when Fred called him back.  
  
"George wait, don't forget, we're on a mission."   
  
Hermione, who had started reading her book again, paused and looked up, suspicion written all over her face. "W...What mission?" She asked cautiously.   
  
"Well," Fred began, "as we were saying, it has come to our attention that you have been spending all of your time up here in Ginny's room reading."   
  
"Right" smiled George, "And this will not be tolerated in our home."   
  
The twins looked at each other, their grins got a little wider and Fred said "we've decided to make it out mission that you have fun here at the Burrow."   
  
"And fun does not include books!" They said this in unison and before Hermione could even respond, George had snatched Durmstrang: a beginning from her hands. He looked at her bookmark and grinned.  
  
"Aww.... Look at little Hermi and her boyfriend."  
  
Hermione snatched it away from him looking annoyed. She placed the picture between the pages and set the book on the desk. "So why this sudden interest in my entertainment? And anyway, I thought you two were busy restocking the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes."  
  
At these words both twins paled ever so slightly and Fred moved swiftly to the cracked door and pushed it shut. In a loud voice he called out, "Hermione, you know that once our Mum has told us not to do something, we listen."   
  
While he was saying this George had moved to the window, "Don't worry Fred, she's out in the garden." Both twins looked visibly relieved about this and Hermione couldn't help but grin.   
  
"Well if you must know Hermione", Fred said in a hushed voice, "Mum has decided that we're not to spend 20 minutes in our room straight unless we're sleeping and even then we have to keep the door open."  
  
"You know Fred, it's almost like she doesn't trust us". George complained with a pained look on his face.  
  
With George's words, Hermione could no longer contain herself. She sat down hard on the bed and burst into laughter. Fred and George both did their best to look affronted.   
  
"Well I'm glad that you think this funny!" Fred snapped, but his heart just wasn't in it, he too was having a difficult time keeping a straight face.   
  
"Seriously though, Hermione, we worry about you" George had come to sit next to her, "it's not healthy to stay up here all day just because a certain red-haired brother of mine is being a jerk".  
  
Fred suddenly looked very worried, "Umm... Hermione, you aren't going to cry, are you"? For Hermione's eyes had started to go dewy. George's words had brought in the harsh realization about how much it bothered her that Ron was so angry. She wanted to make things right but couldn't think how. In an instant everything seemed so futile. She shook her head quickly and George put his arm around her.   
  
"Hermione, crying is kind of the opposite reaction of what we're working for here."  
  
"Yeah" said Fred, " hey, I know let's go play chess, I hear you're bad at that Hermione and we at least deserve a chance of beating you at something. And just so you know, we do accept bets."  
  
Hermione smile widely; it was the first time that she had felt really happy since she had left Viktor. With Fred on one side and George on the other she was led from the room. She couldn't help feeling as they walked down the stairs that things were finally starting to look up.  
  
  
  
  
**There will be another chapter.  



	4. During a Chess match

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They all belong to J. K. Rowling.  
  
I just want to say thanks again to everyone that has reviewed me. I'm afraid to write now, I feel like I have to live up to something. :)  
  
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Hermione whizzed through the air, gaining on George every second. She could hear Fred behind her but on his old broom there was no way he could catch up. George on the other hand had managed to pass her when they had made the second turn around the gnarled, old oak tree in the field behind the Burrow. Something had slowed her down as she looped through the branches, with a wry grin she figured that it might have had something to do with George grabbing her foot as a last ditch effort. She had become tangled momentarily in the branches while George had sped off back towards the house, towards victory. Hermione wasn't beaten yet, however, and she knew it. While George might have quite a lead, his old Cleansweep was nothing compared to the Nimbus 2000 that Viktor had given her. She was so close now, but George kept dodging in front of her making it impossible for her to pass him. Fred who had realized that there was no way he could possibly make a come back, or even finish gracefully for that matter, had started to cheer her on.  
  
"Go Hermione, pass him, pass him!!! You can do it, you know that you're faster than him, don't play nice!"   
  
George turned to give his twin a baleful look over his shoulder and knew immediately that he had made a mistake. Hermione took a chance and dove underneath him. She came up right in front of him and George had to pull his broom to one side. George groaned knowing that his momentary lapse had cost him yet another race. Hermione passed the house, signaling the end. She contentedly spiraled down to the ground where George and then Fred soon joined her. Fred was grinning while George looked a little angry. Hermione had one fearful moment where she though George was going to yell at her when instead he turned to his brother.  
  
"Fred how could you? Your own brother? Your twin, your mirror image? How could you betray me?"   
  
Fred looked at George and said, "I didn't betray you, I just wasn't going to cheer on a cheater!"   
  
"A cheater?" roared George coming over to Fred in order to glare at him properly. "How dare you call me a cheater!"   
  
"I saw what you did to Hermione, knocking her into that tree, she could have been killed!" As Fred yelled this at George, Hermione couldn't help but notice the little twitch that each twin had at the corners of their mouths. They were both trying so hard to not grin. She knew they weren't really fighting; they were just putting on another show. She had spent so much time with them this past week that she was starting to pick up on their little nuances. Hermione knew that deep down she didn't know everything about them, probably not even half of everything. But one thing that she did know for sure is that the twins never fought. They were best friends. Thinking of best friends reminded her about Ron. She had been trying hard not to think about Ron this week. The twins had been going out of their way to make sure she had fun. They played game after game; their favorite had been racing. Ron refused to do anything that included Hermione so playing a game that involved teams was out of the question. Racing seemed like the next best choice, Fred and George knew that she had a better broom than either of them, but neither thought she could really fly it. They had been stunned in the first race when she had zipped past them easily. The Viktor Krum school of training had obviously paid off they thought. Hermione was brought out of her reverie when George touched her arm.  
  
"You aren't really hurt, are you Hermione?" He looked at her, worry in his eyes. "I wouldn't intentionally hurt you, I didn't think grabbing your foot would have worked so well."  
  
"I'm fine George," she said giving him a gracious smile. "And I still won anyway, even with you cheating!" Hermione winked at him to let him know that she was only teasing.   
  
They walked up yard to the house. Hermione looked up and caught Ron watching them from his bedroom window she cautiously waved at him. He paused, Hermione could swear that he was thinking about waving back, but he just disappeared again. The threesome went into the kitchen to get some water. Mrs. Weasley had gone to visit some neighbor friends for the afternoon. The Burrow seemed so quiet, a warm breeze drifting through the open door. Hermione felt sleepy as she listened to a bee buzzing cheerfully in the doorway.   
  
"Let's play chess," said Fred crossing the room to pull an old chess set out of the cabinet. As he did so a letter fell out and drifted to the floor. As he leaned down to pick it up Hermione noticed that George had suddenly gone very still was examining the tiled floor with great interest.  
  
"George" Fred said in a oddly quiet voice, "when did this letter from Angelina get here?"   
  
"A letter? You got a letter from Angelina, really?" George's response was a bit to fast to be believed, his interest and concern just a bit to forced.   
  
"Yes George, this letter from Angelina, when did it get here." Fred asked again. Hermione raised an eyebrow, she was surprised, they seemed almost serious about this, and Fred and George were never serious.  
  
"Oh... that letter, um, yeah, I think Mum may have mentioned a letter coming the other day. It must have slipped my mind." George guiltily looked down at the tiles again.  
  
"Slipped your mind did it? You kept this from me." Fred accused and then set the chessboard down on the kitchen table, turned, and left without another word.   
  
George glumly began to set up the board, watching the little figures walk across it to their squares. Hermione watched Fred as he went up the stairs and out of sight before she turned to George.  
  
"George, I thought you liked Angelina?"   
  
"Oh, well I do, did, no I... I do like Angelina. We've just entered into the Angelina & Fred on again/off again saga." George reached out and flicked a knight that was lagging behind the other pieces.   
  
"Angelina and Fred? Saga? I don't think I understand" Hermione quickly snatched up the few remaining stragglers and placed them at their appropriate places before Fred could 'help' them along.  
  
"Well," George started to explain, "you remember that Fred took Angelina to the Yule Ball last Christmas? They started to see each other after that. It didn't last very long and I thought good riddance, all I ever heard from Fred was 'Angelina this and Angelina that'. He stopped being interested in our joke shop. He started to follow her like a puppy, caring her books, walking her to class. Uck, how... how... romantic." Fred threw out the term romantic like it was a bad word. "After they broke up, things went back to the way they should be, but it didn't last long. After a month they were at it again, hence the on again/off again saga. They broke up right before we came home, I had hoped that my peace would at least last through the summer, but no, Angelina had to send a letter." George looked grouchily down at the chessboard, the tiny figures flinched as his gaze traveled over them.   
  
Hermione watched George's faces and then grinned, "George you're jealous." He looked up at her startled.  
  
"Jealous? I'm not jealous, what's to be jealous of?" He snapped back at her.  
  
"You're jealous of Fred having a relationship with Angelina." Hermione grinned even more, she couldn't believe that George was jealous of his twin it just seemed so ridiculous.   
  
"Oh yes, I'm very jealous of Fred because relationships are such wonderful things. Just look at yours, you always seem so very happy when letters from your Quidditch player arrive." George glowered at Hermione, sarcasm dripping from his words.  
  
Hermione was stunned by the viciousness of what he said. The last few minutes showed her that she didn't know the twins as well as she thought. The chess pieces were waiting for her to make her move but Hermione felt numb. She couldn't believe that it was so obvious about how Viktor's letter made her feel sometimes. She started to get up but then George seemed to regain some sense and realized what he had said to her. His face softened and remorse started to wash over him.   
  
"I'm sorry Hermione, I didn't mean that. I guess I could be jealous of Fred. We've always done everything together and now here is something where we don't" he stared sadly at the board. Hermione realized that George must have been feeling the same way about Fred as she was about Ron. They both felt that they had lost their best friend. She sat back down and moved her knight to a central position. They played in silence for a few minutes, George wasn't as good as Ron at wizard chess but he was certainly much better than Hermione. She soon realized that he was letting her win.   
  
"So Hermione, you really like this Krum guy, don't you?" George asked her without looking up.   
  
"I...I think so. I'm just not sure anymore. I know that I care for him, but sometimes I feel so...so..." Hermione trailed off and watched as her knight took his bishop.  
  
"What do you feel?" George looked at her now, an odd searching expression.  
  
Hermione thought for a moment, trying to formulate an answer, "Overwhelmed, I feel so overwhelmed with Viktor sometimes, I lose track of things, I forget about what is important to me."  
  
George smirked as he moved his pawn, "things like a certain red-haired brother who shall remain unmentioned."  
  
"I meant to tell Ron! I swear I did, I just...I just got distracted," she muttered softly, trying to ignore the way that George was watching her.  
  
"I thought that being overwhelmed was part of the 'romance' attraction. Aren't you supposed to get lost in the person you love?" George seemed to know that Hermione was becoming uncomfortable because he looked away suddenly and studied the clock on the wall.   
  
"I thought so too, but I love other people, people that I don't want to forget about. I don't like being so distant from everything, so alone." Hermione stopped, wondering if she meant what she said, did she really feel alone with Viktor?  
  
George looked back up at her; she was lost in thought again, her eyes becoming so distant. He wanted to bring her back; he didn't want her floating away. "You're not alone Hermione" he said softly. And before he even knew what he was doing, he leaned across the table and kissed her gently. His hand cupped her face and held her still while his other hand had taken hold of her arm. Time seemed to slow down for the two of them. Hermione became very aware of the bees droning outside in the garden. George could feel her hair being blown softly in the breeze against his hand. He tightened his grip and leaned closer to her. Hermione seemed to shocked to do anything but stay still. No one had ever kissed her except for Viktor. Viktor, she felt an odd quiver in her stomach followed by a rush of guilt. There was a sudden popping noise in the next room, Mrs. Weasley had just apparated home.   
  
"I'm home everyone," her voice chimed though the house. George fell back from Hermione looking as shocked as she did. He was breathing hard and Hermione was ashen-faced. Her hands trembled slightly as she pulled them under the table.   
  
Mrs. Weasley bustled into the kitchen, noticed the chessboard and smiled at George. "So, dear who's winning?"   
  
  
  
  
**There will be another chapter of course.  



	5. Yet Another Letter

Disclaimer: All of these characters belong to J. K. Rowling.  
  
**Thanks again to everyone that has reviewed me, please don't stop. This is my first ever fan fic and it means so much to me for you guys to review. And as for Hermione being a scarlet woman.... It's not really her fault. I mean; it's not like she's coming onto these guys. I'm sure we've all been in the position where you're watching a movie with a really good friend that just happens to be a guy (or whatever you're into) and then all of a sudden they kiss you... This does happen... I should know I speak from experience. That's all I want to say. :)   
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Hermione sagged against the door as it shut firmly behind her. The glaring yellow of Ginny's room seemed almost blinding. Hermione squeezed her eyes closed and willed herself to calm down. Her breathing was still ragged and her face was flushed. She had run quickly up the stairs when Mrs. Weasley had come into the kitchen. Avoiding George's eyes she had slipped passed him. But she couldn't forget him, or what had just happened downstairs. Her lips still burned where his had met hers. She felt oddly light headed, strange tingles going up her spine. Hermione didn't understand what had happened downstairs during their chess match. One minute she was playing chess the next George was kissing her.   
Moving shakily over to the desk, she sat down. Crookshanks was soundly asleep on the bed. Next to her arm lay Durmstrang: A Beginning, and deeply engulfed in its pages was a little picture of her and Viktor.   
  
Hermione moaned softly, "Viktor", and immediately she felt guilty. What on earth had happened down there? Why had George kissed her? And the kiss... Hermione gently touched her fingers to her lips they still tingled slightly. Now more than ever Hermione wished that she was better friends with Lavender or Parvarti, all they talked about were guys, they would have some advice in this situation.   
  
"Not that there is any need for advice," she told herself firmly. Whatever had happened was an accident. It was just to warm outside. The atmosphere had been intoxicating. And there was no need to worry; she was with Viktor. She loved Viktor. But a flicker of doubt crossed Hermione's face as she thought this, that kiss was hard to forget. She had never been kissed like that. Not that Hermione had a lot of kisses to compare it too. All of her other kisses had come from Viktor of course. She enjoyed kissing Viktor, but he was always so cautious, she always knew it was coming. Their kisses always seemed so planned. But George...George was spontaneous.   
  
"But....but don't I like things planned?" She asked herself. Her feelings of doubt were becoming harder and harder to ignore. She needed to talk to someone, but whom? "Harry" she muttered. Hermione quickly searched the desk for some paper and a quill.   
  
Dear Harry,  
How are you? I'm fine, well actually, I'm not fine. Things are just so confusing here. I swear I'm going to go crazy. Why don't you see if you can't come to the Burrow? It would help things if you were here. Ron still won't talk to me, and the twins... well, let's just say some things have happened. Please Harry, I will owe you forever. I'm so desperate to talk to someone that I know doesn't have an agenda. Let me know if you can come early.  
Love Hermione  
  
Hermione opened the door and peered cautiously into the hallway, it was empty. She moved quickly to Percy's room and slipped inside. After listening to Percy for at least an hour one night as he discussed his plans to limit the inter-breeding of foreign owls he had told her that she could use Hermes, his owl. Hermione figured that Percy was just tickled to have someone listen to him for an hour without interrupting. Her lack of interrupting had been due to the fact that she had fallen asleep without his noticing rather than her rapt attention span. Percy's room would have fit into a traditional muggle hospital very well. Everything was spotless and shining. Hermione could almost swear that a faint lemony odor was perforating the room. It reminded her distinctly of the nursing home that her grandfather had been in. Hermes cage was surprisingly clean considering that he was an owl. She wouldn't have been surprised if Percy popped in a couple times a day to clean it.   
  
"Hullo Hermes" she said with a forced cheerfulness, "can you take this to Harry for me?" Hermes looked more than happy to fly somewhere other than the ministry office and he took flight almost immediately. As Hermione watched the owl disappear all she could think was "Please Harry....please."  
  
Dinner that evening was very subdued. Ron was still ignoring Hermione, Fred was ignoring George, and Hermione and George were avoiding each other's eyes. Mr. Weasley had an emergency at the ministry and was working late. Mrs. Weasley seemed aware of the uncomfortable silence and kept trying to draw them all into conversation. Percy, however, was the only one interested in talking. He was expounding the Ministry's use of memory charms when dealing with farm animals. Hermione had long ago stopped listening.   
  
"Could someone please pass the rolls," Hermione asked not paying attention as George handed them across the table to her, not looking up. When she reached out to take it her fingers brushed George and the tingles were back, shooting up her arm. Gasping she dropped the basket. Everyone looked at her startled, but before any questions could arise there was a soft tap at the window. An owl was perched on the sill. George rose to let it in but Fred beat him to it.  
  
"I'll do it," he snapped, "we don't want any more misplaced letters now do we?" He opened the window and pulled the letter off the bird. "Oi Hermione!" he called.  
  
She stood up hopefully, had Harry gotten back to her already? But no she realized, if he had he would have used Hermes, or maybe even Hedwig. Fred grinned at her as she took the letter from his hands. As he sidled back over to the table he mouthed to Mrs. Weasley, "It's her quidditch player."  
  
Hermione looked back up at the table finding Ron glaring at her angrily, but he wasn't the only one. George, she was startled to realize, was also giving her an odd look similar to Ron's. The silence in the room was now so overpowering that even Percy had noticed, his current speech about the magic lamp import inspections faltered.   
  
"I think I'll go upstairs to read this," Hermione spoke to Mrs. Weasley, "I'm not very hungry anymore." And with that she walked out of the room, her head held high pointedly not looking at Ron or George, who's eyes were following her every move.   
  
Dear Hermione,  
How are you my love? How is your Uncle? I hope that things are going well for you there. I know that you are upset that Ron isn't talking to you. He seemed nice when we met at Hogwarts. I miss you... I wish that you hadn't left; things aren't the same here now. Even Gorky misses you; I think I caught him looking longingly at a pair of pants the other day. I wonder if your house elf liberation movement finally got to him? I was thinking, that maybe I could come to England and see you? I just wanted to mention it as a possibility. Don't forget that I love you Hermione.  
  
Viktor  
  
Hermione could feel tears welling up inside of her; she could almost hear Viktor talking to her in that accent she adored. Her hand wiped away a tear as it left an icy streak on her red cheek. What was she going to do she wondered? She knew that she had feelings for Viktor, when she had looked down at the letter that Fred gave to her she had felt her heart give a little leap. She was happy with him.   
  
"I like being with him, I'm happy in Bulgaria. I love Viktor, I love Viktor." Hermione repeated this mantra to herself for a moment or two until the tears had stopped. Feeling a little relieved she went to put the letter away when that horrible little doubt from the back of her mind came forward again.   
  
"There's a difference between loving someone and being in love you know Hermione."  
  
She shook her head hard as if to drive this voice away. But the small bit of peace that she had found was gone now, only to be replaced by that horrible doubt. Hermione Granger hated doubt. She sat at Ginny's desk with her head in her hands, massaging her temples. A sudden tapping noise caught her attention. Outside the window in front of her was Hermes, accompanied by another owl, a large and snowy-white owl.  
  
"Hedwig" Hermione cried out in relief. As the window opened, both owls flew in. Hermes deposited a letter onto the bed and soared back out. Probably meaning to fly up to Percy's window. Hedwig, on the other hand, perched on the back of the chair. Hermione picked the letter off the bed and started to read Harry's untidy scribble.   
  
Hello Hermione,  
I don't think I can stay here much longer anyway. Since Dudley didn't lose any weight last summer, Aunt Petunia has started exercise programs. I'll try to break out in a few days, I'll take the Knight Bus to get there so don't worry. I have to go now; Dudley is about to start aerobics.   
  
Harry  
  
P.S. I think that Hedwig has brought home one to many dead rats. Uncle Vernon is going to put locks on her cage again, so please keep her there for me.  
  
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. Harry was coming. Maybe he could talk   
some sense into Ron. She wasn't sure if she would tell him about the kiss with George.   
  
"Not that there's anything to tell, a kiss doesn't mean anything," she told herself firmly. But that little know-it-all voice in the back of her head wouldn't keep quiet about this either.  
  
"Are you so sure a kiss is just a kiss?" It whispered quietly. Hermione wasn't sure and she knew it. Things had been much easier in Bulgaria she wasn't confused there. There weren't all these doubts flitting about her head. She wasn't concerned with what Ron thought when she was there, she wasn't concerned with Harry or even Voldemort. She hadn't thought about his return at all. And that's what she didn't like about Bulgaria and Viktor; she forgot things there.  
  
"Is that what love is?" she asked out loud. She couldn't be sure anymore. When she was younger she knew what love was. A prince on a white horse, he would come in and sweep the young lady off her feet, he'd take her back to his castle and they would live happily ever after. But what happens when the lady didn't want to be swept off her feet?  
  
Hermione became aware of a distant rumbling sound. She cracked a wry grin when she realized that it was her stomach. She had left the table before eating and now she was starving. Several hours had passed since dinner and the house seemed quiet, well as quiet as the Burrow ever got. The ghoul in the attic still moaned and dropped things, Mr. Weasley had finally gotten home and Hermione could hear him talking to Mrs. Weasley, their voices drifting softly up the stairs. But there was no sound signaling where Ron, Fred, or George were. She stood uncertainly in the hall, looking up the stairs. After another growl from her stomach, this one slightly louder, she decided to sneak down. She slipped silently down the stairs, hoping to avoid running into anyone. The kitchen was blissfully empty. Sitting down with a full glass of pumpkin juice and a few pieces of toast, Hermione began to read the Daily Prophet that Percy had left out. She wasn't aware of Ron coming into the room behind her.   
  
He stood quietly by the door, watching her read. In his tightly clasped hand was yet another letter for Hermione. An owl had come soon after she had left the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley had sent him upstairs to give it to her; but instead he had taken it into his room. He had glared at it angrily, hating it for whom had sent it. He had thought about reading it, had thought about ripping it up into little pieces, had thought about burning it, and had even considered combining the three; but in the end he had taken it to find Hermione. Ron couldn't understand what she saw in that stupid Viktor Krum anyway, so he was famous, and rich, and older, big deal. What really burned Ron up was that she had lied to him. Well so she hadn't lied exactly, but she hadn't told him the truth either. She had been with Krum for a month, in his house, in another country, doing God only knows what with him. He tightened his grip on the letter, trying to control his anger. In actuality, that's what bothered him the most about Hermione, his anger. He didn't understand why all the Krum business upset him so much. It didn't bother Harry at all. Harry just wanted Hermione to be happy.   
  
"Well I want her to be happy too, just not with him!" Ron thought darkly to himself. Hermione was still oblivious to his presence.   
  
He had to admit that Hermione always had that affect on him. He'd always had a short fuse he knew that. But no one could make him as mad as she could. Hermione seemed to know exactly what buttons to push, and what's worse is that she didn't even seem to do it on purpose. Time and again, she drove him to an almost blinding fury. She was such a know-it-all, such a busy body, and that blasted cat of hers! But Ron did want her to be happy, even if it was with Krum, although this thought brought an odd pain along with it. With a deep inward sigh, he cleared his throat and held out the letter to her.   
  
"Your darling has sent you yet another letter Hermione," he said coldly. Hermione jumped as he spoke, almost spilling her pumpkin juice.   
  
"R...Ron, I didn't hear you come in, how long have you been there?" She took the letter from his hand and realized immediately that it wasn't from Viktor. It was from her parents.  
  
"I haven't been here long," he answered, turning to get his own glass of juice, not wanting her to see how he had suddenly reddened. But Hermione wasn't paying attention to him anymore her face fell as she read her letter.  
  
  
  
Dear Hermione,  
  
We know that you were hoping for some good news from us. I know that things aren't going very well with your friends right now. Your Uncle, however, is not improving. He seems to be getting worse; I don't think the cancer will go into remission, but your mother keeps hoping. I wish I could tell you something better. All we can do now is wait and see. I'd better go see to your mother, she's very upset right now.  
  
Love Mum & Dad  
  
Hermione stared at the letter, tears starting to cloud her eyes. She wished she were in France, she was very fond of her great uncle. And by the sound of this letter, her parents weren't there to offer emotional support to the rest of the family, but to join in the deathwatch. Ron turned to look at her and noticed how pale she was, how her eyes were glistening, how the hands holding the letter were trembling and he was immediately overcome with fury.  
  
"What has he done? What has that no good, stupid prat done?!" Ron roared, moving over to Hermione. "C'mon, I'll get my broom, we'll fly there now, if he thinks that he can just treat one of my best friends like this then that stupid git of a quidditch player has got another thing coming!"  
  
Startled by Ron's sudden outburst Hermione almost smiled. "It's not Viktor, Ron, it's my uncle. He's not getting any better," her voice faltered at these words. Ron looked at her hard for a moment, his eyes traveling from her eyes to the letter and back again. And suddenly he felt like the stupid prat. He sighed and sat down next to her.  
  
"I'm sorry Hermione, about your uncle. I hope he gets better." He gave her hand a light squeeze and a soft smile. "Well, it's getting really late," he said suddenly, pulling his hand away from hers. He stood up and walked to the kitchen door and stopped.  
  
"Um... Hermione, I'm having some problems with that essay for Professor McGonagall. Do you think you could give me a hand with it tomorrow? He asked hopefully, looking at her shyly. Hermione crossed the kitchen faster than one would have thought possible and threw her arms around Ron. She knew that was as close to a peace offering as Ron would ever give her, and she thought it was perfect, just perfect. Ron grinned down at her, a few shades redder than usual. She extricated herself from Ron and smiled back at him, managing not to cry.   
  
"I'd love to help you Ron," she said cheerfully, knowing that under normal circumstances she would make him do it by himself, but these weren't normal circumstances, Ron was finally talking to her again. They walked up the stairs together and then went their separate ways.   
  
Hermione entered the darkened bedroom feeling as if a large weight had been lifted. With Ron back on her side she felt that she could accomplish anything. Her problems with Viktor seemed insignificant now that Ron was talking to her again. She felt that she could face anything with Ron and Harry behind her. She smiled happily as she closed the door, all her problems would work out now, she had no doubt in her mind.  
  
"Well don't you look like the cat that ate the mouse," said a soft voice in the darkness.  
  
Hermione spun to the right to see George sitting at Ginny's desk petting Crookshanks. "George, what in the world are you doing here? You scared me!" she hissed in a whisper not wanting to wake up his parents who were hopefully asleep down the hall. If she could see in the dark, Hermione would have seen George blush, looking very similar to Ron. It was a Weasley trait to just go red all over.  
  
"I...I didn't mean to scare you Hermione, I just thought that we should talk about what happened earlier." He paused now, looking down at the floor. Hermione sat down on the edge of the bed in front of him.  
  
"Nothing really happened George. It wasn't a big deal, not really. I just don't know exactly why you did what you did." Hermione couldn't believe that she was talking in such a firm voice; it wasn't anything close to what she felt at the moment.   
  
George looked her straight in the eyes, the moon was shining outside, a slash of brightness fell across the old wood floor between them, separating them. "I don't know why I kissed you, it just seemed like the thing to do at the moment," he said in a subdued voice. Hermione almost thought that he sounded a little crestfallen. She looked out the window for a moment before she spoke again.   
  
"You don't just kiss people because it's the thing to do. At least, I don't think you do," she was trying hard to look at anything other than George's face which seemed unnaturally pale in the dark room. She decided then that the kiss hadn't mattered to George, and if it didn't matter to George, then it shouldn't matter to her. And anyway, I love Viktor, she thought. She stood up quickly, startling Crookshanks, who was still purring happily in George's lap.  
  
"Look, like I said, it doesn't really matter. It was a mistake, it was just to hot outside, and summer makes people do crazy things. We'll just pretend that it didn't happen okay?" whispering this all very fast she started towards the door. She didn't want him to see her face; she never could hide her emotions. Right now everything inside her felt like it was at war. She wanted George to leave, but then again she didn't want him to go. Part of her wanted to forget about the kiss while the rest of her was screaming at her for the very thought. "Remember Viktor, Remember Bulgaria" she whispered under her breath to herself.  
  
George stood up and followed her to the door. Hermione put her hand on the door handle and started to turn when he took a hold of her wrist and pulled her away from the door.   
  
"Look Hermione," he said softly moving closer to her, "I don't know why I kissed you earlier, but I don't think that was a mistake, even if you are in love with Krum." And with these words he pulled her against him and pressed his lips to hers. It was gentle, like the kiss earlier. It seemed almost sad, like he was kissing her good bye, as if he was accepting the fact that she belonged to Viktor. And then George was pulling away, the warmth of his lips were leaving hers. He smiled at her sadly and stretched his hand out for the doorknob. Every particle of Hermione's body was saying no. And she reached out to him.  
  
"George," she whispered hoarsely, her voice seemed so dry. She grabbed his arm and pulled him back to her, wrapping her hands around his neck and threading her fingers through his hair. She almost laughed at how shocked he looked before she pulled his head down to meet her lips again. George got over his surprise almost immediately. He lifted a hand to place around the back her throat, feeling the soft hair at the nape of her neck curl around his fingers. His other hand pulled her against him. Hermione wasn't thinking of anything at the moment. She was reveling in the sensations that were going on. George was kissing her, gently at first and then becoming more passionate. Hermione felt light-headed, she wondered briefly how long could someone goes with out breathing? But kissing George soon drove her to distraction. She was vaguely aware of the fact that she was now leaning up against the wall, George still pressed firmly against her. Deep in her mind she figured that if he didn't have his arm around her she would have fallen down by now, her knees felt so weak. George couldn't get over how soft Hermione was, at the moment everything about her seemed soft, her hair, her clothes, her lips, her body pressed against him. She was strong though too, Hermione held him tightly to her. He had never felt anything like this before, the whole world seemed to have stopped as he kissed her, feeling her lips part against his own, his tongue gently tracing the outline of her mouth. There was no telling how long they stood like, arms around each other, but the moon was no longer visible through the window, and there was no ray of moon light to separate them. They probably would have stood there all night kissing if a light in the hallway hadn't come on.   
  
They stood petrified, listening to Mrs. Weasley's steps up the stairs. "Fred, George!" they heard her yell, "how many times do I have to tell you to keep this door open!" They heard a door above them open. "Fred, where's your brother?" They couldn't hear Fred's reply but Mrs. Weasley started back down the stairs, walked past Ginny's room and down to the living room.   
  
Hermione opened the door a crack, surveyed the empty hallway, they could hear Mrs. Weasley calling for George downstairs. George slipped past her and started to go up the stairs when he met his twin half way. Fred looked at George, then at Hermione in the doorway. His eyes widened with surprise and shock. Hermione felt herself blush furiously and quickly shut the door. She turned and fell onto the bed, rather exhausted. "What in the world am I doing?" she muttered before she fell asleep, not quite sure about who she was going to be dreaming about that night.   
  
  
  
**There will be another chapter!  



	6. Much Closer Now

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J. K. Rowling  
  
**Thank you guys so much for reviewing me. Like I've said before, I really appreciate it. I know that a couple of you were unhappy about Hermione becoming involved with someone other than Krum, but I did warn you. I love Krum but look at the logistics of it; he lives in BULGARIA.   
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Hermione woke up slowly the next morning. She felt good; everything in the room seemed bright and cheerful. Summer light was streaming through the windows. She'd had such good dreams last night, although she didn't quite remember what they were about. Hermione felt deeply content, but there was something nagging at the back of her mind, but considering how warm Ginny's old quilt was, Hermione didn't worry about it. She lazily rolled over so that she could see out the window. It was a beautiful summer day, the sun was shining, snowy clouds drifted sleepily by, but in the distance Hermione could see the tell tale signs of a storm forming.   
  
"All the more reason to stay in bed." Hermione murmured as she stretched happily.   
  
There was still a whisper of something in the back of her mind, what was it? She could hear Mrs. Weasley's voice seeping up from the kitchen.  
  
"Hermione, Ron, Fred, and George, breakfast is ready!"  
  
Hermione sat bolt up right, the yellow quilt slipping forgotten onto the floor, Crookshanks growled at being so rudely awakened, but Hermione didn't care. She had suddenly remembered last night's events.  
  
"Oh no," she whispered, "what have I done?" She jumped out of bed and reached for a quill and a piece of parchment. "Viktor, I have to tell him what happened," she stopped though, looking down at the quill in her hand. "I...I can't tell him, it would hurt him so much." Hermione sat back down on the bed, a soft rumble of thunder emanating from far away. She knew it would take several hours for the storm to arrive.  
  
Ginny's door opened and Ron flopped onto the bed, Crookshanks, who'd had enough gave a huff of indignation and stalked out the still open door. Ron grinned at Hermione, any remaining anger he might have felt for her was gone as he looked at her. She was wearing pajamas with little stars on them and her hair was as bushy as it ever got. He thought that she almost looked cute. She seemed a little on edge though, and when she spoke to him there was a small hint of panic in her voice.  
  
"Ron, what do you want?" Hermione immediately wished that she had said something other than that for Ron's grin instantly vanished. He stood up quickly and frowned at her before turning towards the door.  
  
"Ron I'm sorry, I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I just have a lot of stuff on my mind." Hermione quickly apologized, forcing her face into a smile.  
  
Ron looked at her and then smiled again sitting back down, "Your uncle, I know, it must be awfully hard on you Hermione."  
  
"My uncle?" For a moment Hermione wasn't sure what he was talking about. When she realized Hermione felt more awful than before. How could her uncle have slipped her mind? Sighing she sat down next to Ron and started to rub her temples. "I have such a headache," she muttered.  
  
"Really? I'm sure Mum has something you can take, hurry up and get dressed and we'll go ask her. She is waiting for us to come down and eat." He said smiling. Hermione couldn't help but think how nice it was that Ron was actually smiling at her, it had been a long time since she had seen him smile. She stood up and pulled a robe out her trunk, turning she saw that he was still sitting there looking dreamily out the window.  
  
"Um... Ron, I know it's awfully pretty out, and I'd like to go outside as soon as possible," he grinned at her as she casually picked a pillow up off the bed, "but unfortunately I can't go outside until I'm dressed. And I can't get dressed as long as you're sitting here on the bed!" She swiftly threw the pillow at him, hitting him squarely in the face. Caught off guard; Ron toppled off the bed. Hermione gasped and leaned over the bed looking at him, only to be met with a pillow. She squealed with surprise and delight as she tried to dodge out of the way. Rolling off the bed Hermione snatched the only remaining pillow and dropped to the floor. She crept stealthily around the foot of the bed. Peaking around the corner of the old wooden bedpost she could see Ron trying to look over the top of the bed trying to see her. Darting forward she swung the pillow knocking it into the back of his head.   
  
"You little sneak!" he roared playfully bringing his own pillow down hard on her head. She ducked down but not in time as the pillow made a glancing blow off her side. Hermione darted back to the side of the bed opposite Ron. They spent the next few minutes throwing pillows across the bed, every now and then one of them would get up the nerve to jump onto the bed and bring a pillow down onto their opponent. Eventually Ron and Hermione jumped onto the bed at the same time, pillows swinging, only to become entangled in sheets, quilts, pillows, and limbs; they both tumbled to the floor. They lay there for a moment quite out of breath.  
  
Hermione gave a little moan before sitting up "Ugh Ron, I think I broke my head," she muttered, rubbing the side of her face where a little bruise was already developing.   
  
"You broke something? How could you break something? You landed on top of me, remember?" Ron said sitting up, gingerly touching his scratched knee.   
  
Hermione heard something and glanced up over the edge of the bed. Standing in the doorway was George, with Fred a foot or two behind him. Hermione immediately blushed, she wasn't sure if it was because of what happened last night or the way Ron and her were looking at the moment. Hermione knew what they must look like, the bed was a complete mess, Hermione wasn't even dressed yet, and they were tangled in sheets. Ron went a little red when he noticed his brothers staring at him and Hermione.  
  
"We... we were just having a pillow fight, it got a little out of control," he muttered, straightening his shirt and trying to untangle himself from the sheets that had somehow become very tightly wrapped around his legs, and Hermione's, he thought distantly. He was suddenly aware of how close he actually was to Hermione and struggled to get loose a little faster. Ron only managed to lose his balance and topple out of sight again. Poor Hermione was still just as tangled as Ron and cried out as she was pulled down after him.   
  
"Ow Ron! Be more careful, are you trying to kill us?" she snapped, feeling a little queasy. She was tired, out of breath, very hot, and she couldn't dismiss the slightly hurt expression that George had been wearing before she fell out of sight. They finally extricated themselves from the sheet and sat up again only to find the doorway deserted.   
  
Ron turned to Hermione, "What was that all about? They're acting kind of weird, weirder than usual." She just shook her head and looked away. "Well, I had better leave so that you can get dressed," he muttered as he stood up.   
  
Hermione waited until the door closed securely behind Ron before she climbed back onto the bed and pulled the quilt up over her head. "I think," she muttered, "the best way to deal with this mess is to stay in bed until school starts."   
  
Hermione wasn't to be so lucky, however, not long after Ron left another red haired Weasley came into the room. Mrs. Weasley smiled warmly at Hermione, but she looked a little worried.   
  
"Are you feeling all right dear? You didn't come down to breakfast." She walked up to the bed and placed her hand to Hermione's forehead, "hmmm, you're a bit warm, and a little peaked. Overexertion I would imagine." Stunned Hermione looked up at Mrs. Weasley. Did she know? But Mrs. Weasley was giving the large pile of schoolbooks on the floor a dark look. "Hermione, summer is a time for relaxation, you're almost as bad as Percy. You should be having fun. All this work is making you sick. Now, I want you to get dressed, come down, and I'll make you some soup." Mrs. Weasley didn't give Hermione a chance to respond. She took Hermione's arm and pulled her from the bed and handed her the robes that Hermione had dropped on the floor during the pillow fight. "Now you come down straight away dear," Mrs. Weasley said as she left the room.  
  
Hermione dressed and came down stairs; there wasn't any sign of the boys so she came into the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley took her arm and propelled her into a chair. She turned back to the fire where a pot with an odd purplish liquid was simmering. Hermione watched warily as Mrs. Weasley ladled a large bowl of this soup and brought it to the table. Out of her pocket she pulled a sea green bottle filled with a dark liquid and a spoon. Hermione stared with recognition at the smiling face of Gilderoy Lockhart on the bottle's label. Written in fluid cursive were the words "Gilderoy Lockhart's Cure-all-Tonic". Mrs. Weasley poured two expansive tablespoons and held them out to Hermione.  
  
"Here dear, drink up, and then eat your soup before it gets cold." Mrs. Weasley stood and waited until she was sure that Hermione had swallowed the dark potion. Turning she walked back to the fire and looked at the small bottle in her hands. Hermione couldn't help but smile when she heard Mrs. Weasley softly say "what a shame, that poor man, and so brilliant." Sighing she put the bottle back into her apron pocket. "Eat your soup child," Mrs. Weasley said turning around to see the untouched bowl of purple soup.  
  
"Umm..." Hermione began, "what exactly is it Mrs. Weasley?"  
  
"What? You don't know? It's a common cure for sick people in the wizarding world. I would have thought that even the muggles would have discovered the magical benefits of chicken soup." She smiled benevolently at Hermione obviously amused yet again by the ignorance of muggles.  
  
"Oh, well we have chicken soup too, but why is it purple?" Hermione stirred the fluid with a spoon.  
  
Mrs. Weasley looked flabbergasted, "well... what other color would it be?"   
  
Hermione smiled at this and tentatively tasted the soup. It was chicken soup; in fact, it tasted just like her mother's. Mrs. Weasley beamed at her.  
  
"Well dear, I'm going to the neighbors again today. Poor Ms. Grippa still hasn't gotten over that flu and I promised that I'd bring her some of my special tonic." And with that Mrs. Weasley disappeared with a soft popping sound. Hermione sighed and kept eating the soup; it was delicious, even if it was purple. She wondered briefly if maybe she had the flu, she certainly felt strange, but then decided that having the flu would be to easy. Having the flu would mean that all of these weird butterfly feelings in her stomach came from a bug and not kisses from a certain someone.  
  
"What am I going to do?" She asked herself. She knew that she had feelings for Viktor, but now, she might also have feelings for George. And how did George feel about her anyway? Hermione became aware of a vaguely nauseous feeling spreading through her; she hated not knowing what was going on. "Hopefully I'll feel better after I've eaten." Sure enough, Hermione did feel better after she had eaten. In fact, Hermione didn't think she had ever felt this good in her entire life. Everything looked fluffy. Hermione giggled at the idea that everything looked fluffy, fluffy was such an amusing word. She felt a little lightheaded, but it was a good lightheadedness, and a warming sensation was spreading through her belly. Briefly Hermione wondered what was in the cure-all-tonic but she quickly discovered that she didn't care. Hermione distantly became aware of voices echoing from the yard. She stood up shakily, bumping the table, and giggled again. Through the window she could see Ron, Fred, and George sitting at a picnic table with several broomsticks. Hermione thought distractedly that George looked very handsome with the sun shining on his vibrant hair, a splash of freckles across his face, the way he turned his face to glower at his twin; Hermione's brow crinkled.  
  
"Oh wait...that's Fred." Hermione almost felt embarrassed about what she had been thinking about Fred, but another fit of giggles overcame her. Hermione walked to the door, knocking into the frame as she went through. She gave a small cry and she slipped and started to fall down the steps, the ground was coming up to meet her, when she landed in soft arms. Looking up she met George's eyes.  
  
"You caught me!" She cried gleefully clapping her hands together as if it were the most wonderful thing to have ever happened. She smiled at him and put her arm around his neck, "Hullo George," she said softly.  
  
George seemed completely taken aback. He had never seen Hermione act like this. He wondered if what had happened last night had finally pushed her over the edge, he knew she was a little too tightly wound. George didn't let go of her though, he was well aware of how nice it felt to hold Hermione in his arms, and he wasn't very keen to let go of her as early as he had the night before. A thought flickered across his mind that made him smile. He would be perfectly willing to hold Hermione as long as she wanted him to; there was nothing to stop them from standing there like this all day and all night.   
  
"George, is Hermione all right? Hermione?" Ron came dashing over, bringing George out of his reverie. Hermione glanced at Ron's worried face and smiled widely.  
  
"Oh I'm fine, aren't I George?" She asked coyly, grinning wickedly at the stunned boy. Ron gave her an odd look, but Fred just sat where he was, glaring suspiciously at George.   
  
Ron looked a little flustered as he gazed at Hermione in George's arms. "Well, now that Hermione is ready, I guess... you are ready, right Hermione?" he eyed her passive figure still wrapped up against his brother. "We should race, I've been wanting to all week."  
  
"Yes!" Hermione agreed and pulled herself away from George, swaying slightly as she stood alone. "Yes I definitely want to race." She clapped her hands together again, but this only made her lose her balance and she tumbled back into George's outstretched arms.   
  
He looked down at her, worry criss-crossing his face. "Hermione, are you all right? You seem a little odd."  
  
Hermione leaned closer to him and in a low voice murmured, "that's not what you said last night." She giggled and pulled herself away from him again and snatched her Nimbus off the old weathered table. George glanced over to Fred and Ron, afraid that they had overheard, but they weren't paying attention, they were watching Hermione. She had taken flight and seemed to be swaying in the air. The breeze would blow a little harder every now and again knocking her off course.   
  
"Um, are you sure she can fly?" Asked Ron in a nervous voice as Hermione made a sudden dip that went so low they all thought she was going to crash. She righted herself at the last second and burst into strange laughter. Her bushy brown hair shimmering behind her as a sudden gust of wind blew her and she was pushed back over their heads.  
  
"You know she can fly Ron, you've been spying on her ever since she got here, don't think we haven't noticed." Fred muttered at his brother, not taking his eyes off Hermione.   
  
"Maybe it's the flu that's making her act funny." Ron said, "Mum was going to give her something for it though, make her some soup too. I would think she'd be feeling better by now."   
  
Fred seemed to freeze, his tanned face went very pale, "You said that Mum was going to give her something? She didn't happen to mention Lockhart's tonic, did she?" he asked, tightening his hand on his broom. Hermione was flying higher now than she had been before, the wind whipping dizzily around her.  
  
"Yeah," answered Ron, "I think she mentioned it, said she was going to take it over to Ms. Grippa, you know that witch in town?" He suddenly noticed that both Fred and George were getting very pale.   
  
"Fred!" George yelled at his brother, "you said you were going to switch it back!" He didn't wait for a response; he mounted his broom and took off after the distant speck that was Hermione.  
  
"Well I forgot after the expression on Percy's face, and you didn't remind me!" Fred shouted at the receding back of his brother. He also took off into the air.   
  
Ron was worried now; he followed his brothers up into the air. Fred and George rarely seemed perturbed by anything, but something was definitely happening, and it was happening to Hermione. He watched his brothers flying higher and higher, and Hermione circling in the wind, she was up to far, and he knew it. The higher one went the stronger the wind gusts, "she must know that, is she crazy?" He moaned. But Hermione kept flying higher and higher. He realized suddenly that if a strong enough gust hit her, she might fall. Ron felt his stomach turn over and his hands clenched tightly on the broom, he'd just have to get to her first. The twins were farther ahead than Ron was, but he knew that if she fell they wouldn't be close enough to get to her in time, he had to stay low to the ground, that way he could at least be under her if she lost her grip. He sped up, desperately trying to get below Hermione. As he glanced up, his heart stopped, she was falling. She was falling from much higher than he had ever fallen, much higher than any of his brothers, much higher than Harry had when he saw the Dementors, but there was no one to help stop her fall, no one but him. "I have to get there, I have to get there," he said to himself over and over again desperately speeding up. He arced his broom up; he had to catch her. Fred and George were diving after her, but they wouldn't make it. He was close, so close, but so was the ground. "Please, for once in my life, let me do something right" he pleaded. And he reached out for her. He didn't quite catch her though, they collided, his arms wrapping around her. His broom, having suddenly been hit by a fast moving object, took a nosedive. "Oh no," thought Ron as they both crashed into the bushes ten feet below.  
  
"Ron! Hermione!" Ron became aware of the twins desperately calling his name, he could hear the panic in their voices, and then he felt panic too, where was Hermione? Things were starting to slowly sink in, he felt an odd warm moisture near his eye, he lifted an unsteady hand and touched it, and looking at his fingers he saw blood.   
  
"Hermione?" he croaked, trying to sit up, but he couldn't something heavy was laying on top him. He looked down to see Hermione, her arms still around him, her head pressed into his chest. Time seemed to stop as he waited for her to move. "Please," he said, "please breathe Hermione, please breathe." And then time started again as she lifted her head and looked at him. Her eyes were slightly crossed.  
  
"R...Ron are you okay, you're bleeding?" She shakily reached up a hand to touch his cheek were the trickle of blood was running down. "You could have really hurt yourself Ron." she said softly and then, "I think I twisted my ankle," She sat up, still swaying, letting him move. He sat up and put his arms around her, holding her tight. She was trembling; she put shaky arms around him and buried her face in his chest again.   
  
"Ron, Hermione! Are you all right?" Both twins swooped down on them at the same time. Fred and George looked a little green, fear written all over their faces. "It was just a joke" Fred said, "it....it was just a joke."  
  
Ron was overcome with fury, rage flew through him, Hermione had almost died because of one of their stupid jokes? He was on his feet in an instant, which he regretted immediately because he was still dizzy and the warm presence of Hermione on his chest was suddenly gone. "What do you mean it was just a joke?" he roared. George tried to get around him to Hermione but Ron grabbed his arm and pulled him back, "don't touch her," he said in a dangerous voice. Hermione reached up and took Ron's hand.  
  
"Shh Ron, it's okay, we're okay." She smiled at him; her face still pale, she was trying not to wince as shooting pains ran up from her ankle. "Let's go back to the house, then they can explain." She sounded like her normal self but Ron could tell that she was trying very hard to keep her eyes focused. Ron sighed feeling defeated. Fred came up and slipped an arm around him helping him hobble back towards the Burrow while George easily lifted Hermione off the ground. Ron looked over his shoulder at George who was caring Hermione; he seemed almost afraid to touch her. But Ron noticed that when he did, it was in a very familiar way, to familiar Ron thought, a spark of jealousy flaring up. But Ron's head hurt too much for him to get angry, right now he was just happy that Hermione was all right. As they made they're way back towards the burrow, all Ron could really think of was that he had saved her, not Fred and George, not Harry, but himself.   
  
Soon they were all sitting in the family room, Fred was still putting a bandage around Ron's head, and he sounded a great deal like Mrs. Weasley as he tutted to himself. Ron looked over at Hermione who was sitting across from him on an old couch, her sprained ankle raised onto a small stool in front of her, a bag of ice on it. She was back to old her old self now, no more giggles; Ron had to admit they had been a bit unsettling. What was really unnerving now was how close George was sitting to Hermione, only a few inches away. Ron almost jumped to his feet when he saw Hermione let her head rest against George's shoulder, but Fred forced him back into his seat saying something about his wounded head.  
  
Fred sat down finally, both twins were still pale, but their color was finally starting to return. Fred cleared his voice and started "see, we were playing a trick on Percy. Remember when he had that cold in the beginning of summer?" Ron nodded at Fred.  
  
"We knew that Mum would give Percy some of that Lockhart stuff, so we decided to improve upon." George said softly, trying not to move much, Hermione was drifting in and out of sleep.  
  
Fred turned to Ron again and said, "do you remember that bottle of Albania fire-whiskey that Dad got for Christmas last year from Charlie?"  
  
"You didn't," Ron started only to be cut off by George.  
  
"Of course we did, it was a perfect opportunity. We switched the tonic with the whiskey and Percy was none the wiser. You were supposed to switch it back though Fred." George accused quietly, Ron suddenly noticed that George had wrapped a lock of Hermione's hair around his finger and was gently rubbing it.   
  
"I was going to, but I forgot, I'm really sorry Hermione," Fred apologized to her, "I never thought it could hurt anyone. Maybe get Percy into trouble at work, but that's it I swear we didn't mean any harm." He was pleading with them for forgiveness.  
  
Hermione smiled sleepily, the alcohol was making her very tired now that the initial high had worn off. "It's all right you guys, nothing's broken, I think."   
  
Fred had almost achieved his normal color when it all drained out of his face again. "Mum is going to kill us you know." He said to George with a frown.  
  
George looked at Hermione and then at Ron, "I don't think they would tell on us, you wouldn't Ron would you? You are my favorite brother after all. And family has to stick together you know."   
  
Ron grinned at the twins, "Nah, I won't tell, won't need to anyway."  
  
Fred looked at him, "why wouldn't you need to tell Ron?"  
  
"Well," Ron said, looking maliciously at the lock in George's hand, "I doubt that Ms. Grippa will have that familial bond that you keep talking about. Remember, Mum took the tonic over to her this afternoon." Ron looked around at them triumphantly.   
  
"Oh dear," the twins said unison. "We should probably go wait up in our room," said Fred.  
  
"With the door open," said George. He then turned to Hermione who had accepted defeat in the battle against the need for a nap. "C'mon Hermione, I'll help you get upstairs." He went to pick her up but Fred grabbed his arm.  
  
"Why don't you let Ron help her upstairs?" He asked a little coldly. George glared at him, they hadn't talked about what happened last night with Hermione, but they obviously needed to.   
  
Ron, seeing his moment of opportunity slipped between the older boys and slipped an arm around Hermione. "Wake up Hermione," he said softly in her ear, "I'll help you get upstairs."  
  
With his help Hermione was soon back up in Ginny's room. He helped her onto the bed and pulled the quilt up over her. She smiled at him sleepily and then drifted off. He stood there watching her for quite some time, waiting for her breathing to turn rhythmic. The summer sun sparkled through the window making her soft brown curls shine. Her face looked so soft with her pretty hair framing it, Ron didn't care that it was often bushy; he knew that Hermione just never tried to do anything with it. He couldn't believe how frightened he had been earlier. It seemed like it had taken hours for Hermione to draw that first breath after they crashed. A breeze through the open window blew a strand of hair into her face. It brushed up against the tip of her nose and he watched it twitch. He knew that she'd wake up if it tickled. Before Ron knew what he was doing he had stepped forward and brushed the lock of hair back behind her ear. He realized a little fearfully how close he was to her now. Only inches away. He felt himself blush and realized that it had suddenly become a lot harder to breathe. He took a deep breath and leaned closer. He kept his eyes open, watching for any sign of movement from Hermione. He could feel her soft breath on his cheek as he leaned closer still, his lips so close to hers. He could feel the warmth from her emanating towards him. He closed his eyes and felt his lips softly brush hers, so softly he wasn't totally sure if they had. There was a sudden rumbling noise and Ron fell back with a gasp. Hermione murmured a little in her sleep but didn't wake up. Ron stood up shakily, staring at Hermione as if seeing her for the first time. He touched his lips and shivered. He heard the low rumble again, it was coming from outside. Looking out the window he could see that the storm clouds were much closer now.   
  
  
**There will be another chapter, and please please please review.  



	7. Topaz

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J. K. Rowling.  
  
**Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed, it really means a lot to me. I try to post diligently for you guys. :)  
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A loud rumble awoke Hermione later that day. Sleepily she thought that it was Crookshanks, he was pressed up against her, his deep purrs rattling her body while she slept. But as a brilliant flash illuminated the bedroom, she realized that it was about to storm, she could smell the rain on the air. She gasped and leapt out of bed, a blast of air had blown a pile of papers from Ginny's desk onto the floor, the window was still open.   
  
"Ow!" Hermione cried out as she felt the sprained ankle twist as she stood up. "Stupid ankle, stupid broom, stupid Fred and George," she grumbled as she hobbled over to the window, shutting it firmly. Still grumbling to herself she decided to go find Ron, she hadn't thanked him yet for rescuing her, or breaking her fall for that matter. Ron seemed to be thinking along much the same lines because as she opened the door she found him standing out in the hall. Ron immediately went very red and looked at the floor.   
  
"I... I... wanted to see if you were awake, so that you could help me with that... um... essay for Snape." He said not looking at her.  
  
"You mean for Professor McGonagall, right?" She asked, smiling at him. Hermione figured that he was embarrassed that he had waited so long to work on their summer homework.   
  
"Right...McGonagall," Ron said in what he hoped was a convincing voice. He couldn't even think about essays right now, or class, or books, or school. He'd been pacing out in the hallway for at least an hour; having Hermione just open the door on him so suddenly had sent him into complete confusion. He had no idea why he was standing outside his little sister's bedroom waiting for one of his best friends to wake up.   
  
"So, has your Mum come home yet?" Hermione asked over her shoulder as she tried to hop on one foot over to the pile of schoolbooks. Ron nodded at her, he still hadn't come into the room yet, he was watching her with an almost petrified expression from the hallway. "Are the twins grounded for life?" She queried, not noticing how weird Ron was being. He just shook his head. Hermione bumped her ankle into the edge of the bed frame and sat down hard on the floor, grasping her wounded foot. This seemed to snap Ron back to life; he came forward into the room and kneeled down next to her. He reached out and took a hold of her ankle.  
  
"It's still a little swollen." Hermione grumbled, "I want to thank you for saving me Ron." She looked at him, feeling herself blush a little bit. She couldn't help but wonder at this.   
  
"Oh it's no problem, what are friends for?" Ron grinned at her. His grin suddenly vanished from his face when he realized that he was still holding her foot and that he had been gently caressing her ankle with his thumb. He dropped her foot almost as it burned him and jumped back.   
  
"Ron?" Hermione asked, looking rather startled. "Where are you going? I thought you wanted to work on the essay?" For Ron had gotten to his feet and was out the door without a backwards glance. "Oh lovely," she muttered, "now what have I done?" But there was no answer as Ron's feet could be heard dashing up the stairs and his door slammed shut. Hermione sat on the floor glaring darkly at nothing in particular. She couldn't believe her summer. She still hadn't talked to George, although she had a sneaky suspicion that this might be a good thing considering what happened the last time they had talked. A flash of red caught her attention, peering around at the doorway she could swear that something had moved out in the hall. "Ron?" She called, carefully getting up. But it wasn't Ron out in the hall she soon discovered as George stepped back into view. Hermione immediately felt lightheaded looking at him. She couldn't stop thinking about last night's events, and then she remembered how she had acted earlier that day, before the accident. Hermione blushed a deep crimson, "what he must think of me now," remembering how flirtatious she had been. Taking a deep breath she tried to smile at him.  
  
"Hello George."  
  
George looked at her for a moment, took a half step into the room, and then thought better of it, turning he walked back out. Just like Ron, she heard him go up the stairs, followed soon after by a loud crash as his door slammed shut. From downstairs Hermione could hear Mrs. Weasley calling up at him.  
  
"Fred, George, that door had better be open." Hermione would have grinned as she heard the distinct sound of door being kicked open from up above if the entire situation wasn't giving her such a headache.   
  
"Oh this is ridiculous," she muttered, "I am not going to hide up in this room avoiding all Weasley contact. Percy will be home soon, then at least someone will talk to me," she thought, rather annoyed by the whole situation. Hermione hobbled over to the desk and snatched up her book and proceeded to delicately make her way down the stairs. She had thought that Ron had forgiven her, but now he wasn't talking to her. She knew that she needed to have things out with George, but he wasn't talking to her either. She was becoming rather fed up with the Weasley children to be quiet honest. Hermione opened the back door; it wasn't raining yet, soon though. A strong gust of wind whipped her brown hair around her face. She settled herself down onto the back step, propping her book up on her lap. Before she could take up where she had left off, the picture of Viktor and her caught her eye. She had never felt so guilty before in her life.   
  
"Damn you George," she muttered angrily to herself. Why did he have to kiss her? Was it to prove something, did he want to see if he could make her feel something, prove to his brother that he could do anything that Fred could do. But no, Hermione didn't think George would use her like that, while they weren't close friends, they definitely had a bond. "And it's not like I didn't return his kisses," Hermione closed her eyes remembering herself reaching out to him, calling him back. She quickly pulled her thoughts back together, away from George, she knew that to think of them kissing was dangerous. Every time she thought about it, she wanted to do it again, the guilt forgotten. Blushing Hermione started to read her book, trying to drive all thoughts of George from her mind. She would have been very surprised to know that upstairs, two different Weasleys were trying, rather unsuccessfully, to stop thinking of her as well.  
  
Hermione spent the next hour sitting out on the stoop; her book lay forgotten beside her, her place lost long ago as the wind rustled the pages together. Clutched in her hand was the bookmark. She stared at Viktor's profile, his face in a broad smile as he kissed her again and again. Hermione watched as the little Hermione smiled and kissed back. A sea of faceless people surrounded them; every now and again Viktor would break the kiss to smile at the crowds. Hermione noticed the lost little girl run a hand through her bushy, brown hair, a faltering smile on her face, waiting for her love to turn to her again; which Viktor did almost immediately. But in this tiny moment of time, Hermione could feel a distant realization coming forward from the recesses of her mind. "I shouldn't be lost with Viktor, I shouldn't be so wretchedly alone the moment he breaks a kiss." Her face pale Hermione continued to study the picture, like little pieces of a puzzle, she felt her realization solidify. "I'm not in love with Viktor," she whispered to herself, not sure if she really believed the offending words. But she couldn't ignore how right they felt coming out, how true they sounded, or how that horrible little voice in the back of her mind which was so quick to disagree stayed silent. Tears welled up in her eyes, not from a broken heart, not from hers at least. Hermione tried to choke them back, she didn't want to cry over this, but they trickled down her cheeks nonetheless. With a flash and a much closer crash of thunder, the rain finally began. Great torrents came down from the sky, she stared out at the pouring rain, the small overhang above the step keeping her dry. Suddenly she was on her feet, stepping out into the yard, the elements fell upon her. Raising her head to look up at the boiling, black sky illuminated only by flashes of lightning she felt her tears become lost in the rain. The wind blew harder, but her hair was plastered to her face now, brown coils nearly black as they curled around her face, sticking to her neck and back. The rain felt like thousands of tiny needles as their cold drops struck her face. She squeezed her eyes shut and just let the rain wash over her.  
  
"Hermione?" A near by voice brought her back to reality, a voice that she hadn't heard in a while. Opening her eyes, she struggled to see through the darkness the figure in front her. She could make out a trunk and an empty cage.   
  
"Harry!" She cried out in desperate happiness. Before Harry could even respond she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him tightly.   
  
Harry stood startled as she clung to him; he knew she was crying he could feel her shake against him. "Hermione, what's wrong?"   
  
She let out a soft choking sob against his chest; the wind seemed to die down a little, enough so that he could hear her crying now.  
  
"I'm...I'm...not in love with Viktor." She responded shakily, this confession,  
to one of her best friends seemed to make this announcement official and she started to cry harder. He wrapped his arms around her and just held her, letting her cry, letting her work out all of her guilt and pain. He wasn't exactly sure why Hermione was so upset about not being in love with Viktor, she wouldn't be the one getting hurt. But Hermione knew that it would break her heart to cause Viktor pain. Harry had no idea how long they stood out in the storm, Hermione crying hard as the wind and rain swept around. Harry just stood there gently stroking her hair as she leaned against him.  
  
"Harry? Hermione! What in the world are you doing out there? Have you both gone crazy? Get inside this instant." Mrs. Weasley's voice cut cleanly through the tempest.   
  
Harry stepped back from Hermione enough to look in her eyes, "are you okay Hermione? Can we go inside?"  
  
She gave him a sheepish smile as she surveyed the drenched boy. "Yeah, I'll be okay, thanks Harry."   
  
Hermione picked up Hedwig's cage and Harry dragged the trunk up into the Burrow. The scene that happened after was very hectic. Hermione and Harry stood dripping in the kitchen while Mrs. Weasley voiced out commands to her sons, to get blankets, light a fire, and take up Harry's trunk. The ruckus wouldn't have been nearly as bad had Hermione remembered to tell the Weasleys that Harry was coming. No one minded, of course, Harry was always a welcome surprise. The ensuing chaos kept the Weasley's from noticing Hermione's puffy cheeks, or red eyes, and as she was dripping from head to toe, no sign of tears could be found. Soon enough things had settled back down, Harry and Hermione sat at the kitchen table, wrapped in thick woolen blankets, two bowls of chicken soup sitting before them. Ron, Fred, and George sat at the table as well while Mrs. Weasley tutted anxiously around them.  
  
"Honestly, out in the rain like that, you'll be lucky if you don't get sick. Oh if I only had some of that cure-all-tonic."  
  
Fred and George both looked up, they were still very wary of their mother, the thought that she might be biding her time, waiting for the right opportunity to pounce had not been far from their minds. "What happened to it Mum?" They asked quietly, trying very hard to look non-chalalant.   
  
"Well it was the oddest thing, I gave some to Ms. Grippa and sure enough she perked up right away. Got all rosy cheeked and happy, wonderful stuff that the Lockhart tonic is, but she persuaded me to let her keep it. Afraid of a remission I think." Both Fred and George breathed a sigh of relief, and Hermione and Ron exchanged amused glances. "You two need to eat your soup, it'll help warm you up. Really, what will I tell your families if either of you get sick?" She said gently prodding Harry and Hermione towards the steaming bowls.  
  
"Oh don't worry Mrs. Weasley, the Dursleys would probably congratulate you for a job well done," Harry said with a quirky grin. He then turned his attention to the bowl in front of him. Not wanting to offend Mrs., Weasley he leaned over the table and asked in a hushed voice, "what is it exactly?"  
  
"It's chicken soup Harry," Ron said, amazed at how little Harry knew about the wizarding world sometimes.  
  
"Oh, of course, chicken soup," Harry agreed stirring it gently; Hermione grinned to herself, waiting for Harry to continue. "But um, Ron, why is it purple?"  
  
"Well, what other color would it be?" All three Weasley boys asked looking surprised.   
  
Hermione burst out in a fit of giggles. She was so happy to have Harry around, it made things seem so normal. She felt like she had a buffer zone with him here. Overcome with a sudden fit of happiness, Hermione leaned over and hugged Harry tightly. He smiled at her; they made a rather funny pair, two bedraggled wizards wrapped in blankets eating purple soup. His smile fell though when he looked up, meeting Ron's eyes. The youngest Weasley son was glaring at him with something Harry almost thought was envy. Deciding that he should probably ignore the look from Ron, he turned to smile at Fred and George, only to find that George too was giving him a rather intense stare. Fred just rolled his eyes and left the table. "What in the world have I walked into here?" Harry wondered to himself, gently separating himself from Hermione who he felt could start crying at any moment. Hermione gave him a bright smile, her eyes still red, but he knew that she wouldn't cry again.   
  
After they had finished their soup, Harry and Hermione went upstairs to change into dry clothes. Hermione came back down in her pajamas. They joined Ron in the living room in order to catch up on things. They all sat on the floor in front of the large fireplace, together at last, the trio felt whole. With great bravado, Ron reiterated the day's adventure, from Hermione's intoxication, to the daring rescue, and the miraculous salvation of the twins. Harry was very happy for Ron, he knew that Ron never felt like he could achieve things on his own, even though Harry knew that Ron could probably do anything that he could do. Harry grinned at his two friends, it was nice for all of them to be together and not be fighting, he had worried that he would arrive and Ron would still be ignoring Hermione. Ron finished the story with a flourish, explaining the twins' practical joke in hushed tones just in case Percy or Mrs. Weasley were within earshot. Hermione, feeling a little melodramatic, suddenly threw her arms around Ron and kissed his cheek.  
  
"My hero!" She exclaimed, smiling brilliantly at Ron, then Harry.  
  
Harry grinned at the both of them watching Ron's ears go pink while his face went bright red. Hermione pulled back and sat down on her heels grinning from ear to ear. Suddenly the color drained out of her face.  
  
"Oh no! My book, I left it out on the step, it'll be ruined if it gets wet." Jumping to her feet, which she regretted as her ankle twinged, she gingerly walked out of the room towards the kitchen. Harry noticed that Ron hadn't taken his eyes off of her since she had hugged him, they now followed her out of the room, staying upon her still she turned the corner. Harry wasn't exactly sure what the gleam in Ron's look was about, but he intended to find out.  
  
"Ron, did something happen?" He asked, looking at his friend directly.  
  
"Erm, what?" Ron's attention snapped back to Harry, "What happened?" He asked, confused.  
  
"Did something happen with Hermione? You seem really weird around her." Harry prodded again, hoping he wasn't over stepping any bounds, he knew that Ron could be very sensitive and quick to anger. But Ron didn't get angry; instead he flushed and cast a wary glance around the room.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about Harry, what could happen with Hermione?" But Ron looked away as he said this.   
  
"Ron..." Harry began, but Ron cut him off.  
  
"Ikissedher" he said in a low, rushed voice.   
  
Harry choked, "You did what?!" He was stunned, he'd had a lingering suspicion that Ron might like Hermione as a little bit more than a friend ever since the Yule Ball, but he had never considered that Ron might do something about it. "Well, don't keep me in the dark, what did she say? What did she do?"  
  
"She, um, didn't say anything," Ron ducked his head, pointedly not looking at Harry.  
  
"She didn't say anything? That doesn't sound like Hermione, even if she was upset about it, I figure she would give you a lecture or something." Harry felt sympathy for Ron, remembering Cho.  
  
"She couldn't say anything," Ron said taking a deep breath, "she was asleep at the time."  
  
Harry just sat there for a moment staring at his friend. "Oh, she was asleep, that would explain why she didn't say anything." They sat thoughtfully for a moment and then Harry voiced what they were both thinking, "does that really count then?"  
  
Ron sighed glumly, "I don't know."  
  
"You don't know what Ron?" Hermione's soft voice reverberated in the quiet room as she came back in carrying her book.   
  
Surprised, and a little worried about how much she had heard, Ron turned to Hermione and lashed out, "I just don't know why Vicky has nothing better to do with his time than send you owl after owl." He twisted the word you in a way that could only be insulting. Harry saw Hermione's eyes flash dangerously, and then he saw a soft sheen of tears start to well up, but Hermione refused to cry in front of Ron.  
  
"Oh shut up Ron!" She yelled at him, her entire body trembling with rage or pain, Harry couldn't decide. Hermione then threw the somewhat soggy book as hard as she could at Ron. Turning she ran up the stairs trying hard to ignore the pain in her ankle.  
  
"You handled that very well Ron," Harry said dryly.   
  
Ron just looked at him blankly, his face rather pale, "I didn't mean to say that. I don't know why she always makes me say things that I don't mean."   
  
Hermione lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling of Ginny's room; she couldn't believe how much of a prat Ron was being. "Damn you Ron, it's not fair that you can make me so mad," she growled, throwing a pillow against the wall. She didn't understand Ron, things would be fine, and then all of a sudden there would be this strange tension. She had no idea where that attack had come from, but now that she thought about it, he had been acting kind of weird earlier that day when they were going to work on the essay. She wondered if it was because of how she had acted with George. "Oh God, I don't want to think about George," she thought as she rolled over onto her stomach, but deep down part of her did want to think about George, it wanted to think about George a whole lot in fact. The rest of the Burrow had become very quiet, but there was at least one other person still awake Hermione soon discovered as someone gave a tentative knock to the door. Slipping quietly out of bed, she cracked the door open to see who it was.  
  
"Harry, what in the world are you doing here? Why aren't you asleep? If Mrs. Weasley catches you here she'll think that you're trying to be fresh with me," Hermione grinned, at him stepping aside so that he could come into the room.  
  
"Well I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I know that the whole Krum and Ron thing upsets you." As Harry mentioned Krum, he watched her face fall, but when he said Ron's name he saw her face darken and that dangerous spark fire across Hermione's eyes, he was very thankful that he had never experienced the brunt of Hermione's temper, that was usually reserved for Ron alone. A soft hooting noise distracted him from Hermione's emotional turmoil, "Hedwig," he whispered with a small smile. Hedwig was perched happily on the back of Ginny's chair; he got up and carefully scratched the back of her head.   
  
"I'm okay, it's just that Ron makes me so mad, and I don't even know why. Although I understand why he was upset when I didn't tell him that I was in Bulgaria." Hermione sighed wistfully.  
  
"When you lied." Harry said patiently, he always seemed to be the mediator between the two. He knew that this time it wasn't Hermione's fault. She had no idea why Ron was upset, and Ron probably had every intention of keeping it that way too.   
  
"I didn't lie, not really, I just never mentioned that I was in Bulgaria. And now I don't know what I've done now. Harry help me, I don't understand what's wrong." She pleaded softly, picking little pieces of fluff off the quilt.   
  
Harry gave her a commiserating smile, "I know Hermione, it's not your fault, the Krum thing bothers Ron. I think it's because now there is yet another famous person around to remind him of what he wants to be." She just nodded at this, deep in thought. "Wow it's late, I had better go to bed, sleep well and don't worry about things." He told her as he walked to the door.  
  
"Good night Harry," she whispered at as he left. She sat silently continuing to pick at the quilt. It was silly for Ron to be envious of Viktor. Ron was a good wizard and he had many abilities. Why couldn't Ron just be happy for her, she wondered. "Maybe," the little voice was back, "it's because you aren't happy either." Hermione let this thought turn over in her head for a while. "I'll have to talk to Viktor, I have to let him know how I feel." She started guilty down at her hand where a pretty ring adorned her finger. She could easily remember what he had said to her when he'd given it to her.  
  
"Zhis is so you von't forget, even if zhings don't vork out. Zhis vill symbolize our friendship."   
  
What a strange thing to say she mused, but before she could really put much thought into it there was another knock on the door. She quickly opened the door, expecting Harry.  
  
"Harr...George," she whispered feeling herself flush, "Wh...what are you doing out here?" She asked, feeling her breath quicken. George pushed past her into the room closing the door behind him. Hermione was feeling more and more nervous as the seconds ticked by. This scene was all too familiar.  
  
"Are you in love with Harry?" George asked her point blank, watching her expression. Hermione just stared at him, mouthing silently like a fish out of water.  
  
"Wh...What? Harry? Of course not, I love Harry but I'm not in love with him, he's one of my best friends. Why would you think I was in love with him?" Hermione sat on the edge of the bed facing him; he started pacing a little, he seemed oddly nervous. She watched him moved silently back and forth.  
  
"I just saw him coming out of here. And you were being really strange earlier when he got here, just standing out in the rain like that. Yes we saw you guys from the window." He was still pacing and he was a little pale. "And earlier, with you and Ron crashing, I swear, I will never pull another prank again." He said this so firmly that Hermione believed him. Before she really knew what she was doing she had reached out and taken his hand.  
  
"No George, don't say that. We like your pranks; you wouldn't be George without them. And nobody got hurt, not really." She had taken his hand and squeezed it with these words. She gave him a warm smile and he returned it. He raised his hand and gently traced her cheek with his fingers. He watched her pale; he could feel the air in the room change. Hermione closed her eyes feeling lightheaded as George let his fingers trace over her skin, trying to memorize her face. His fingers played gently over her lips and he soon replaced them with his own. She leaned into him as he wrapped his arms around her. He ran his hands up and down her back, feeling the soft skin underneath the pajamas. He lowered his head and kissed her neck while Hermione made a sharp intake of breath and then relaxed further into his arms. They were distracted by a sudden creak from above them. Pulling away from George, she looked up at the ceiling, wishing she could see through walls. But that special gift wasn't necessary to tell her that Harry and Ron were awake. She could hear them talking in soft, muted voices. She looked at George; he stood watching her in the moonlight. She took a shaky breath, she knew that she couldn't do anything with George until she had talked to Viktor; she owed him that.   
  
"George, I'm sorry, but you had better go," George nodded without saying a word.   
  
At the door he turned back to her and whispered goodnight, gently touching her face with his hand again before he turned and disappeared into the dark hall.   
  
  
  
**There will be another chapter!!! Oh.... And about the chapter title, I was trying to think of a title and it just wasn't coming to me. Anyhoo I was listening to Topaz by the B52s on winamp and my friend said to go with that.... :-)   



	8. I'm So Sorry Viktor

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J. K. Rowling.  
  
Thanks for reviewing you guys. I know that Harry's appearance has raised hopes for some of you H/H shippers. I just want to repeat that in this fic, Harry and Hermione are just friends, I'm not sure who's going to get the girl, but it won't be Harry. :)  
  
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Hermione was rudely awoken early the next morning, much earlier than she would have wanted. She was aware of the heavy, ginger weight that had landed on her head bringing her out of what had been rather happy dreams. "Crookshanks," she grumbled sleepily trying to push the cat off her head without opening her eyes, instead of a successful dislodgement, however, Hermione came out of the battle with a scratched and bleeding hand. Crookshanks gave a low growl followed by a mewling noise. Hermione grudgingly opened her eyes. Crookshanks seemed able to detect this movement and stepped back to watch her. She rolled over and looked at the window, the sun wasn't even up yet, the sky was just beginning to lighten. "Well, what do you want cat?" She asked grumpily as she sat up nursing her hand, which was still bleeding slowly. Crookshanks just looked past her at the window, turning to look again, Hermione noticed something different. Sitting on the edge of the sill in the corner pressed up against the glass was a very damp, brown lump. "What in the world?" She said to Crookshanks, the wounded hand forgotten, Hermione went to the window and opened it. The brown lump, which turned out to be a small owl, tumbled side ways onto the desk. Hermione immediately snatched up a small towel from the pile of clean laundry that hadn't been put away yet and picked up the bedraggled creature. Rubbing gently Hermione tried to warm the cold owl. "Poor thing," she whispered to it, "what were you doing out in that rain last night?" The owl gave a small clicking sound and proudly stuck out its weak little leg. Attached to the shivering appendage was a letter. After she pulled the letter off, the tired owl hopped from her hands onto the back of Ginny's chair, which seemed to make a rather pleasing owl perch. The small owl was soon dead asleep while Hermione carefully unrolled the wet piece of parchment being careful not to smear the already bleeding ink.   
  
My Dearest Hermione,  
I have not yet gotten a letter from you. I know that I mentioned that I would like to come and see you. As it turns out, our Quidditch team is planning on doing a charity match against England on Sunday, so we're going to be coming to London tomorrow. This will allow me at least a day to come and see you. I have looked up the address of your Weasley friends, and will be dropping by on Saturday. I know that this doesn't give you any warning, but I really would like to see you, to take you out. I'll try to arrive there around noon.   
  
With All My Love  
Viktor  
  
Hermione read the words of the letter over and over again not quite comprehending what they said. Viktor was coming? Viktor was coming on Saturday? She was going to see Viktor again?   
  
"Saturday!!" She gasped feeling as if the floor had suddenly fallen out from below her. She sat down hard on the chair jarring the owl awake. He gave an annoyed hoot and tucked his head back under his wing. "T...today is Saturday, he can't mean today, he can't come today. I'm not ready to tell him, I haven't prepared, I haven't planned. He can't come today." Hermione was pleading with the letter as if it had some power over the person who sent it. She glanced around the room hoping for a commiserating look from someone, anyone, but the owl was fast asleep again and Crookshanks too, had drifted off. Hermione clutched the letter in her hand and left the room. Darting upstairs she stopped in front of the door labeled Ronald's Room, taking a deep breath she cracked the door open and peered in. Two huddled lumps could be seen, one on the bed, and one on the floor. Making her way to the lump on the floor, she kneeled down next to Harry and gently shook his arm.  
  
"Harry," she whispered, looking nervously at Ron asleep on the bed. "Harry," she said a little louder, giving his arm a little jerk.  
  
"Coming Aunt Petunia," Harry murmured in his sleep.  
  
Hermione groaned inwardly and gave a very hard tug on Harry's arm. "Harry," she hissed in his ear.  
  
"Wh...What? Hermione? What are you doing?" Harry looked up at the fuzzy blur in front of him. Reaching next to his head, he found his glasses and slipped them on. "Hermione what time is it? Is there something wrong?"   
  
"He's coming Harry, he's coming today, I can't see him yet. What am I going to do? I don't know what to say, what can I say?" She spoke so quickly that it took Harry a moment or two to piece together what she was saying.   
  
"Who's coming?" He asked her groggily.  
  
"Viktor," she groaned, "Viktor is coming today."  
  
"Viktor?" He asked, confusion all over his face, "wait, you mean Krum? Krum is coming here?"   
  
"Shhh, you'll wake up Ron and he's the last person that I want to talk to about this." Hermione said furtively.  
  
"Oh thanks Hermione," Ron grumbled opening his eyes, "what're you doing in here anyway? The sun isn't even up yet. And who's coming here?"  
  
"Krum," Harry responded before he could catch the warning look from Hermione. He watched, dismayed, as Ron's sleepy face suddenly hardened, his eyes getting dark.  
  
"Oh, Vicky is coming here is he? What, couldn't stand to be away from his leetle Herm-own-ninny?" Ron looked at Hermione, watching as her fists clenched and she flushed angrily, then he continued. "Or did you beg him to come?" In a high sing-song voice Ron imitated Hermione, "oh Vicky, you must come, I'm trapped here with these horrible Weasleys. I'm so in love with you that I can't even see how much of a git you are, please, you must come and rescue me from this poor trash." He would have continued with his insults but Hermione had jumped up from Harry's side and lunged at Ron bringing her palm down hard against his cheek.  
  
"Ron, I swear, one more word and I'll hex you, ministry be damned. And you have no idea what you're talking about, you blind, pig-headed, prat!" Hermione pulled back from Ron, her eyes flashing, her hand tingling painfully.   
  
Ron just stared up at her in complete shock. He wasn't sure if he had ever seen her this angry before in his life. Her whole body was shaking, her bushy hair seemed to almost vibrate around her head, her hands were clenched into tight, white fists. He wondered at the temerity of his words, he knew that Hermione didn't think that about his family, he wasn't sure why he had said something so mean. He could feel his apology well up inside of him but before it could bubble forth, the pain in his cheek started to sink in. All feelings of remorse vanished as his head began to throb furiously. He stood up angrily and pushed his way past her and out of the room. Down the stairs he went not pausing to say good morning to his parents. He slammed out of the house and into the yard, turning to look over his shoulder he glared angrily at his window. "Of all the nerve!" He yelled once he had gotten far enough away from the house. At the very edge of the Weasley's large, overgrown lawn, was a small pond. An outcropping of trees hid the pond from the Burrow making it an ideal place to lay low when the busy household got a little too hectic. Ron had spent many summers by this pond gathering frogspawn with Fred and George, not to mention all the salamanders that they had dug up to hide in Ginny's room. Sitting down on a large rock he started to skip small pebbles angrily across the water. "Stupid Hermione, doesn't know anything," he muttered to himself but his anger was finally starting to subside. He cautiously touched his cheek, it was still tender, leaning over to look into the water he could still see the imprint of Hermione's little hand on his cheek. He laid back on the rock, the sun was finally starting to peak over the horizon line filling the sky with bright orange highlights, none of the storm from yesterday remained. He just couldn't believe that Hermione would have the nerve to come in and gloat about Krum like that. Didn't she know how that made him feel? Ron paused at this thought because, of course, Hermione had no idea about how he felt when she talked about that stupid Quidditch player. He and Harry had stayed up most of the night talking about Hermione. Ron felt that it was already a lost cause, trying to get her to understand, Hermione had Krum; what could she possibly ever see in poor Ron Weasley? Angry again he jumped off the rock and started to storm around the pond, driving a few sunbathing gnomes back to their little holes. Last night he had given up on pretending that Hermione meant nothing more to him than a friend, he really couldn't ignore the odd, but enjoyable, queasiness he felt when she was around. Harry had figured a lot of stuff out last night, much faster than Ron had. He hated to admit that Harry was right when he had told Ron that he was just being a jealous git when it came to Krum. Harry for some reason seemed to think that Hermione wasn't as fond of Krum as she seemed. But why would she come into gloat like that then? Ron considered this some more; actually, now that he thought about it, Hermione hadn't seemed all that happy over the prospect of Krum coming to visit. "Not happy at all," Ron mused as he turned back to the house.  
  
"I cannot believe him! How dare he say that to me?!" Harry sighed pulling a pillow over his head as Hermione paced around the room, squeezing a Chudley Cannons pillow in her hands, probably wishing that it were Ron's neck.  
  
"Hermione," he groaned through his pillow, "I'm sure he didn't mean to say that, he's just very sensitive about Krum, and you did wake him up. I've been sharing a dorm with Ron going on five years now, I can attest to the fact that he is not a morning person." He looked at her hoping that his words might calm her down, but she just gave him a very dark look and squeezed the pillow a little tighter.   
  
"We'll be getting along fine and then I mention Viktor and he's suddenly a different person, a very mean person." Hermione was still glowering around the room, everything in it was reminding her Ron. Everything was a loud, glaring orange.  
  
"Ahh, young love," Harry grumbled wishing that he was still asleep.  
  
"What?" Hermione had spun to look at him, "what did you just say?"  
  
"Oh....um nothing, just talking to Hedwig over there," Harry pointed at the sleeping owl in the corner. Harry groaned inwardly, "if Ron doesn't work out his feelings with her I might not ever get to sleep again". He had stayed up all night listening to Ron talk about Hermione. Harry had suggested that he just tell her how he felt, but Ron had looked horrified at the very thought. Hermione finally sighed and sat down on the bed, finally dropping the crumpled pillow onto the floor. She looked up at him; the anger was fading from her gaze.  
  
"Harry," she said softly, looking at him with large, worried eyes. "Ron doesn't really think that about me, right? He doesn't think that I'm shallow enough to be bothered by him not having any money?" She looked at him, obviously worried now, the thought that Ron could think that about her made Hermione feel a little nauseous.  
  
"No Hermione, Ron does not think that about you," Harry replied firmly. "He's just venting his frustration, that's all." He grinned at her and she smiled back, albeit a bit weakly, but a smile nonetheless.  
  
Hermione had left Harry in order to get dressed for breakfast. She sat now in the kitchen reading The Daily Prophet, it was already eleven-thirty. Nervously, she glanced around the room. Harry and Ron were playing a game of exploding snap together. Fred was reading a letter from Angelina, while George was helping Mrs. Weasley clean the kitchen. Hermione down right refused to talk to Ron. He couldn't really blame her for being mad, what he had said was rather awful. Fred suddenly dropped the letter and looked up at Ron gasping.  
  
"Ohmigosh, Ronniekins! What's happened to your poor little face?" Fred stared at Ron as if seeing him for the first time, his mouth agape.   
  
"Shut up Fred," Ron muttered without looking up. This had to be the tenth time that one of the twins had mentioned the slightly discolored cheek of their younger brother.   
  
"You know Fred," George glanced over his shoulder at Fred, "I've heard that Hermione there has a mean upper cut."   
  
Fred gasped in amazement and looked Hermione up and down, "you don't say? Maybe she could teach us a thing or two."  
  
"Nah, no need for her to bother herself, I'm sure that Ron could show us, he seems rather well acquainted with it already." George sat down next to Hermione and grinned at Ron.  
  
"Shut up George," Ron muttered again, still refusing to rise to the bait.   
  
"You know Hermione, one wouldn't think that little old you could be so vicious," George winked at her; she gave him a warm smile.  
  
"Yeah, it must be all those brawls she gets into at Hogwarts, I swear, whenever I have a detention, there she is. McGonagal complains about her all the time. Never seen such an unruly student, I swear." Fred said keeping a straight face. The thought of Hermione being unruly was hilarious. George suddenly let out an astonished cry and dropped the towel that he was using to dry off the plates.   
  
"Oh dear, Ron, what happened to your face?" He asked in a shocked voice. Ron just groaned and left the kitchen.  
  
Both twins chuckled merrily and Hermione was glad to see that they seemed to be getting along again. It was rather disturbing for them to be fighting. She glanced at her watch again; it was noon. She took a deep, steadying breath and tried to continue reading the paper. There was distant knocking sound coming from the front of the house. Hermione sighed; Viktor was always amazingly punctual. Harry gave her a hopeful nod as she walked past him out of the kitchen. She could hear the twins start to ask Harry questions.  
  
"Harry where is Hermione going? Who's here?" They asked in unison.   
  
"Krum, he's in England for a day or two and they're going out." Harry replied.  
  
"What?!" Hermione winced inwardly as George yelled from the kitchen. Picking up her pace a little she came face to face with Viktor. Mrs. Weasley was about to show him into the house.   
  
"Herm-own-ninny," he said happily and wrapped his arms around her. Before she could respond his lips were upon hers. She felt a sudden surge of hope, everything will be fine, the feelings will still be there; but they weren't. She was glad to see Viktor, but there weren't any butterflies in her stomach when he pulled back and gazed deep into her eyes.   
  
"My dear Herm-own-ninny, it is vonderful to see you. I am just sorry that it cannot be for more than a day." He squeezed her tighter to him and pressed his lips to hers again. Hermione could feel someone staring at her from behind, but she couldn't bring herself to turn and see whom it was. "I thought that ve could go on a picnic, the countryside around here is very pretty, no?" Viktor's smile faltered as he gazed at Hermione's crestfallen look. "Do you not vant to go? Ve could find something else to do..."   
  
"No no...Viktor, it sounds wonderful." Hermione said quickly hoping that he hadn't seen the disappointment in her eyes when he had kissed her. There was a loud bang from somewhere upstairs and Hermione pulled Viktor towards the door. "We should probably go now." They made their way down the path to where a car waited for them. It was too conspicuous for them to ride a broom across the English countryside, and Hermione couldn't apparate yet. The drive through the moors was very beautiful, Hermione tried to lose herself in the passing fields, but it was hard to forget about Viktor when he had his arm around her. The driver was asking Viktor all these questions about Quidditch and what it was like play for Bulgaria. Even with this distraction, Viktor had noticed that Hermione was being distant, he already knew long before she would speak those fateful words later on what was going to happen that day. Pulling her close Viktor gently pressed his face into her hair, relishing in the soft, delicate smell of her shampoo.   
  
After what seemed like hours, even though Hermione knew that it had only been twenty minutes, the driver pulled the car off onto a small dirt road that trailed up into the rolling, green hills. Soon they were stopped, the picnic basket unloaded, watching the car pull off again with the promise of returning in two hours. The basket was filled with good food and Hermione could almost have enjoyed herself if she wasn't dreading telling Viktor that things were over. Viktor didn't seem to be fairing much better either. He kept giving her long, searching looks that she found rather disturbing. When he looked at her like that she could almost feel him looking into her mind, seeing her guilt, seeing George. Much sooner then she would have liked, the food was gone, and they were left sitting across from each other silence bearing down over their heads.  
  
"Viktor," Hermione began in a quivering voice, "Viktor, I...I'm so sorry." It suddenly became very hard to see, tears filled her eyes and Hermione swallowed back a sob.   
  
"Shh...Herm-own-ninny, shh." Viktor came across to her and wrapped his arms around her, "it's all right. Everything will be fine, I'll be fine, I promise." He said to her softly.   
  
"What? But I haven't even told you yet. I haven't even told you..." But Hermione's voice became lost again as she struggled not to cry. Viktor brushed her hair back from her face and kissed her forehead. "Viktor...I'm not in love with you." She breathed out shakily.   
  
Viktor took a long, deep breath, "I know that Herm-own-ninny, I have known that for a long time." He gently tilted up her chin so that she was looking into his eyes.   
  
"What do you mean you've known for a long time? I didn't even know for sure until yesterday." She stopped trying to hold back her tears now, they streamed down her face, but she didn't look away from him. She didn't understand, but it seemed like he did. Viktor seemed all knowing as he sat there giving her a sad smile.   
  
"I knew that you did not have the same feelings that I had. I knew that last year at Hogvarts." He smiled at her, picking up a napkin he gently wiped tears off her cheeks although it did little to stop the outpour.  
  
Hermione sniffed hard and prepared herself for the worst part, "Viktor, that isn't all, I have to tell you, I kissed someone. I didn't do it on purpose," she pushed on quickly when she saw the sudden spark of anger flare in his eyes, "it was an accident, I never meant to hurt you." With that Hermione burst into great racking sobs and buried her face in her hands. What little anger that Viktor had felt disappeared as he watched the girl cry, her pain was evident, it seemed even worse than his own if that was possible.   
  
"Herm-own-ninny," he said gently stroking her head, "part of me knew that something like this vould happen. I should never have hoped to keep you vhen you already belonged to someone else." When Hermione didn't look up or stop crying, he continued on. "At Hogvarts I thought at first that it vas Harry, but then I noticed the other boy. I noticed how he vould vatch you. I vas just happy to have you to myself for a little vhile; I couldn't really expect anything more."   
  
Hermione was so shocked at his words that she stopped crying and looked up at him. "George watched me? At Hogwarts?" she asked him.   
  
Viktor gave her a confused look, "I don't know a George, I vas talking about your red-haired friend, Ron?"   
  
"Ron? No Viktor, Ron and I are just friends, that's all." She said softly, although as the words came out she wasn't even sure if they were friends at the moment.   
  
"I know how friends look at each other Herm-own-ninny. I know vhat I have seen." He said this very firmly because he had seen how Ron looked at Hermione. He had watched the three of them together: Harry, Ron, and Hermione. At the time he had thought that Harry was the dangerous one, but when Hermione came to visit he had realized that it was Ron. Ron, the boy that she had talked about all the time, even though she was generally angry with Ron when she talked about him. The anger was what had made Viktor realize that he had no future with Hermione. The passion that could flare up so easily when it came to Ron was never in their relationship, not on her side at least. Viktor sighed deeply and stood up pulling Hermione along with him. "Come Herm-own-ninny, I'll take you home now."  
  
Hermione stood out at the end of the path watching the car disappear. She stood there even longer remembering what Viktor had said. They had ended everything rather well she supposed. She had no idea how Viktor could be so understanding about everything. He had kissed her good bye and promised to send an owl when he got back to Bulgaria; Hermione hoped that he would. Turning towards the Burrow, Hermione surveyed the house; all seemed quiet. Hermione figured that it was only four in the afternoon, everything had happened so fast with Viktor. Sighing, she started to walk towards the house; she didn't really want to go in yet. Distantly she heard an odd plopping noise. Walking through the bushes and around strange wizard trees, Hermione soon came upon a pond. She had never noticed it before, it was rather secluded, the large trees that surrounded it made it hard to see from the sky. She heard another plopping sound and glanced to her right, sitting there on a rock was Ron. He hadn't noticed her yet; he was staring glumly at the murky water, skipping pebbles along the surface. Slipping quietly through the underbrush, Hermione came up behind him and stealthily sat down on the rock. He seemed so lost in his own world, but Hermione didn't mind, it was nice to sit here with Ron and not fight, even if the only reason was because he didn't know that she was there. After a few moments longer, Ron gave a soft sigh and began to stand up. Turning around he gave a short cry at finding Hermione sitting directly behind him, her chin resting upon her pulled up knees. Stumbling backwards, he lost his footing and started to fall off the rock. Hermione lunged forward and grabbed his hand, but Ron had more momentum going and he pulled her right off. They landed with a great splash in the dark water. Several nobbily little gnomes shook their fists at them as the wake splashed up over the sunbathers. Ron tried to stand up, only to lose his balance again on the slippery rocks underneath and fall back. Hermione was a better swimmer than Ron, having taken muggle swim lessons a few years ago; she easily treaded the water as she watched Ron splutter angrily as he fell back into the water yet again. Hermione couldn't help herself, she started to laugh, this brought his attention back to the reason why he had fallen off the rock to begin with.  
  
"This isn't funny," he gurgled as he swallowed a mouthful of brownish water. A lily pad hanging off one shoulder, he tried to stand up, to regain some shred of dignity. But the slippery rocks wouldn't hear of it and he fell back over.  
  
Hermione just laughed harder and harder, "it is too funny, look at us!"   
  
Ron looked over at her, she was drenched, the brown water had slicked her hair back and her wet clothes clung to her body. Ron rather liked the way she looked right now. He wasn't sure when she had gotten so beautiful on them. Hermione just grinned at him and then swam past him, reaching up for a low branch that stretched out over the water, she grabbed a hold and used it to help maintain her balance on the slippery rocks. He watched her slip out of the water and climb back onto the rock; she then lay down on her stomach and held out a hand to him.  
  
"C'mon Ron, I'll help you." She smiled down at him; he liked it when she smiled at him. Taking her hand, he soon found himself next to her on the warm rock. "I'm sorry I scared you Ron," she said softly, pulling her knees back up to her chin.   
  
"S'okay Hermione." He paused and looked out at the pond, "did you have fun with Viktor?" He asked trying to sound friendly. Hermione looked at him suspiciously for a moment.   
  
"You know, that's the first time that you've called him by his name." She said softly. Looking away from him she sighed softly, "and no, I didn't have much fun with Viktor today."   
  
He looked up at her rather hopefully, but she wasn't paying attention to him anymore, she seemed lost in thought. They sat quietly, letting the sun dry them, for quite some time. Finally Hermione seemed to snap out of her thoughts, she turned to him with a questioning expression.  
  
  
"Ron..." she began softly, "we're friends, right? I don't know what I'd if we weren't."  
  
He looked at her with a puzzled expression, was this because of what he said earlier? He looked away from her, feeling guilty. "Of course we're friends Hermione, what a silly question."  
  
She smiled at him warmly and then put her arms around him giving him a tight hug. Ron stiffened momentarily then instinctively hugged her back. He held her tight, feeling how warm she was, realizing how much he liked sitting here like this with her. He decided then that he wouldn't let her go, that they would stay like this forever, that nothing would come between them. But then Hermione let go, and before he could say anything she was off the rock and walking towards the Burrow. She turned and waved at him before disappearing behind the trees.   
  
  
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**I'm sorry about Viktor... I know that some of you were rooting for him. Don't get me wrong, I love Viktor, heck I'd date him. However, let's look at the logistics of this shall we? He lives in BULGARIA.... Anyhoo.... Please R/R. :)  
  
  
  
  



	9. You Did What?

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J. K. Rowling.  
  
**Thank you all for reviewing, it makes me so happy to get them. :) I'm sorry that this chapter took me a little longer to do than the others, but I have finals this week and I just don't have a lot of time. The next chapter will probably take me a little longer to do as well.   
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Fred and George were sitting at the kitchen table peeling potatoes when Hermione came back inside. They glanced up at her simultaneously; taking in her damp, dirty clothes and her stringy hair. Her face was starting to pink; she had spent a great deal of time out in the sun today, and would probably be glowing later with a brilliant sunburn.   
  
"What happened to you?" The twins asked in unison, "You look like you fell into a lake."  
  
Hermione grimaced as she pulled a weed out of her hair, "a pond actually."   
  
Fred and George smirked at her while they continued to peel potatoes. Hermione noticed that the kitchen was filled with bowls of potatoes and the table was covered with peels.  
  
"What are you two doing anyway?" She asked raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Well, it's a funny story about all of this..." Fred started but George cut in.  
  
"It was funny till we got to the potato part of it."  
  
"True," Fred agreed. "See, Percy was going out to meet some girl at the Leaky Cauldron this afternoon. And he was making such a fuss about his new robes. But you see Hermione, we don't think that Madame Malkin sized him right..." he looked at his brother with a wicked grin.  
  
"They seemed a little too big for him. Percy is to busy working and he never eats enough." George tutted as he tossed a peeled potato into the bowl next to his leg.  
  
"And we couldn't let Percy embarrass himself in front a soon to be girlfriend just because his robes didn't fit him." Fred handed George another potato as he spoke.   
  
George slowly sliced the potato with a paring knife and started to shear the skin off in one long piece. Hermione knew that they were purposely dragging out their story for dramatic purposes. George pulled off the peel and grinned at her.  
  
"So to save our dear brother from undue humiliation, we cast a shrinking charm on his robes."  
  
"Right before he apparated." Fred added.  
  
Hermione did her best to hold back a laugh and cast a disapproving glare at them. "Does it ever occur to you to leave Percy alone?"  
  
Both twins looked aghast at her words. "Leave Percy alone?" They whispered.  
  
"Are you crazy?" Fred exclaimed, "He needs us!"  
  
"It is a constant battle to keep his ego from getting any more inflated!" George agreed, nodding at his twin.  
  
"Percy came home right away after the...incident, little too late though I'm afraid." Fred said.   
  
"We were shocked to see him wearing his under shorts and little else. I suppose we might have overdone the spell just a bit." George added. Hermione smiled as Fred and George tried to tell her that it was an accident.  
  
"Mum was none to happy about it though, set us up down here, I have no idea what she's going to do with all these potatoes." Fred looked around them at the piles of naked potatoes.  
  
"I hate potatoes," George grumbled.  
  
Hermione just smiled at the twins, while she wouldn't tell them, she thought that they probably got what they deserved. They were constantly playing pranks on people. On the first day that she had arrived at the Burrow they had bewitched Ron's chess set. Ron hadn't been very happy about having his king turn into a tarantula when he had tried to checkmate Fred. Last night after dinner they had charmed Harry's glasses so that little polka dots would appear on them at odd intervals. They had spent an hour trying to convince him that he had come down with some obscure wizard disease. They had tested some new Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes products that were specially aimed at pets. Crookshanks had spent the first week a lovely shade of green. They had gotten to Hedwig this morning after breakfast. She wasn't very pleased with her new pink plumage, Pig, on the other hand, seemed delighted with his plaid print. Errol and Hermes had thus far gone unscathed because they constantly stayed near Mrs. Weasley. Now that Hermione thought about it, she seemed to be the only one in the Burrow who had gone prank free. There had been the tonic accident, but it had never been intended for her. Her forehead wrinkled slightly as she thought about it, trying to remember if they had pranked her.  
  
"You know," she said softly, "I don't think you guys have tried to prank me this summer." She didn't want to say it, but she almost felt a little left out. It was as if there was some sort of Weasley initiation that she had somehow missed.  
  
"Well it isn't like some of us haven't wanted to." Fred grumbled softly, giving his brother a slight glare. George just continued to peel a potato, pretending that he hadn't heard. Hermione mean while felt her face go very red, George had been protecting her. An awkward silence filled the kitchen as neither twin spoke. Hermione self-consciously twisted a strand of hair around her finger and noticed that it was filthy. She then remembered that all of her was filthy; she had fallen into a pond after all. The events of the day had been a little stressful thus far and a bath seemed like a lovely idea. She left the kitchen and passed the living room noticing that Harry was sleeping contently in an overstuffed armchair, his glasses askew. Slipping silently into the room, Hermione gently lifted them off his face and set them on a little table next to the chair. Smiling to herself she headed up the stairs, thinking about how pleasant it would be to sit in the bath and read her Arithmancy book.   
  
An hour later she was back in the living room with Ron and Harry. Hermione was absent-mindedly petting Crookshanks as she read over Ron's essay for Professor McGonagall. Ron and Harry were engaged in a heated debate over Quidditch teams. Hermione now knew a good deal about Quidditch teams now due to her friends, but thinking about Quidditch made her think about Viktor. She didn't really want to think about Viktor; all in all she figured that things had worked out for the best. But the day's events had still been upsetting. Their picnic kept replaying in her mind. She didn't regret that their relationship had ended; it had to eventually. But his words still kept repeating themselves in her head. Especially concerning Ron. "What had he meant?" She asked herself not realizing that she was speaking out loud.  
  
"Who meant what?" Harry asked. They had talked a little after her bath while Ron was upstairs getting cleaned up, but she hadn't gone into great detail over what had been said.   
  
"Oh...nothing, just thinking out loud." She said handing Ron back his essay. "It's pretty good Ron, there were a few things that I'd change, but I marked those for you." It was a very obvious change of subject. Ron glanced at her quizzically but accepted his essay without a word. Neither boy seemed to feel up to pursuing it at the moment. It was very hot outside and they were all in a rather lackadaisical mood. Hermione laid back on the floor listening to Harry recount his adventures with the Dursleys. Dudley's exercise program sounded like pure torture. They were all in agreement that Harry had been lucky to get out when he had. He had just started to describe in rather exacting detail Dudley's exercise uniform, which consisted of different colored spandex when muffled voices started to drift in from the kitchen. Harry stopped talking and they all sat quietly listening while the muted voices started to rise.   
  
"Is that the twins?" Harry whispered to Ron.   
  
"Yeah," Ron nodded, "they've been like that for several days now."  
  
"I thought they never fought." Harry said again cocking his head towards the doorway hoping to make out the intelligible voices.   
  
"They usually don't. But Fred got back together with Angelina, again, and George doesn't approve. That's nothing new of course, but supposedly..." Ron leaned closer to the two of them, lowering his voice as he talked, "supposedly, George is involved with some girl now too, and it's Fred's turn to disapprove."   
  
"Really?" Harry asked, "Who's the girl?"  
  
"I'm not sure, they've both been really secretive about it." Ron leaned back against the sofa.  
  
Hermione tried to look nonchalant, "do you know why Fred doesn't approve?"  
  
"Nah, no clue. But I don't think that they would ever approve of anyone for each other." Ron answered. "They're both very picky. And can you really see either of them dating? They're practically joined at the hip. I'd feel sorry for any girl that tried to have a relationship with one of them. No wonder Angelina keeps breaking up with Fred. The twins should just marry each other." Ron and Harry broke into peals of laughter over this, but Hermione just frowned at them.  
  
"Oh like you two can talk," she snapped. They both stopped laughing. Ron muttered something under his breath that sounded very much like "thanks mum", and started to fix his essay. But Harry was staring at her. His eyes widened a little with shock.   
  
"Hermione?" He started to ask but she leapt to her feet and said something about needing to get a different quill and dashed up the stairs.   
  
She sat silently in Ginny's room looking at nothing in particular. She wondered why Fred didn't approve. She also wondered why the idea that Harry and Ron might find out about George bothered her so much. She was dating Viktor anymore, she should be allowed to do what she wanted, why did she still feel guilty? More than anything, Hermione longed to be back at Hogwarts, everything seemed less complicated there; the Burrow was just one chaotic episode after another. At Hogwarts all she had to worry about were the classes and whatever nasty thing was trying to kill Harry that year. Sighing, she lay back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Her summers never use to be this stressful.   
  
Supper that evening was rather quiet. Whatever truce that Fred and George had managed to reach that morning had been lost that afternoon. They sat opposite one another not looking at each other. Hermione was also very quiet; she didn't like the idea that part of the reason that they were fighting was because of her. Ron was reading a Quidditch magazine that had a prominent article about the Chudley Cannons and Harry was deeply involved in a conversation with Mr. Weasley. As always, Ron's father had insisted that Harry and Hermione sit near him so that he could ask them questions about life with Muggles. Harry was currently trying to explain computers to him. Mr. Weasley had already given up asking Hermione questions about dentistry. She had been rather untalkative that night. Which he had thought to be very disappointing indeed because he found drills to be rather interesting. Percy was also strangely silent. Hermione noticed that he seemed to look a little flushed; she imagined that he was still furious with the twins. After dinner Hermione helped Mrs. Weasley clear off the table. Not that there was a lot for her to do, cleaning is rather easy in the wizarding world, but it gave her a little time to avoid everyone else. But sooner than she would have liked, everything was clean and put away, with a deep sigh she went to find Ron and Harry. They were back in the living room playing chess. Ron grinned at her when she came in but Harry didn't look up from the board, he was desperately trying to find a way to last another round. Hermione curled up in the big armchair, pulled out her Arithmancy book and started to read. Ron glanced up at her as she sat there, a fire was blazing in the grate, it had been enchanted to not give off any heat since it was already warm inside. The light that it gave was making Hermione's normally deep brown hair a soft auburn color. It framed her face gently and she absent-mindedly tugged on a strand of it, twisting it around her finger. "She always bites her lower lip while reading." He smiled to himself as he looked at her.   
  
"Check!" Harry said, his voice filled with glee. Startled Ron looked down at the chessboard. Sure enough Harry was very close to winning. Feeling the need for a victory Ron turned all of his attention back to the game.   
  
"Check mate." Ron told Harry two moves later, smirking as Harry glared at his pieces.  
  
"We were close this time guys." He muttered to them.  
  
They stayed like that for quite some time. The room was full of contentment, the three friends together; they didn't need to talk. The peace was broken however when an owl flew in through the open door. It graciously dropped a letter into Harry's lap and flew right back out. Harry turned the letter over in his hands and smiled when he saw whom it was from.  
  
"Snuffles," he told them.  
  
Mrs. Weasley poked her head into the room, "who is that from dear?" She smiled warmly at them.   
  
"Oh, it's mine," Hermione piped up quickly as she took in Harry and Ron's stunned faces, "it's a letter from..." she looked at the two boys hoping for some help but there was none forthcoming. "From Lavender." She settled upon a name and Mrs. Weasley seemed satisfied.   
  
"We should go outside to read it I think." Harry whispered, "This house is full of Weasleys." Ron and Hermione nodded and got to their feet. They sneaked out of the house hoping to not catch the twin's attention. But as it turned out, the twins were already outside in the middle of a heated argument.   
  
"So now she wants you back and just like that you go running to her? She'll only let you down again." George snapped at his twin.   
  
"Would you get off Angelina? Like you have any business talking about letting someone down!" Fred retorted.  
  
Hermione grabbed Harry and Ron and tried to pull them back; she had a sudden feeling that something bad was going to happen. She desperately wished that she were inside doing anything except this. But Harry and Ron were determined to eavesdrop and they pulled Hermione along with them, crouching behind some bushes only a few feet from Fred and George.   
  
"We're not talking about her! We've already talked enough about her, you don't approve so what more should be said?" George glared angrily at his brother.   
  
"Oh, so you can pass judgment on Angelina and I, but I can't say anything to you?" Fred growled. Hermione couldn't see his expression, his back was to them, but she figured that he was returning George's glare.  
  
"What's going on with you and Angelina is completely different from what's going on with us." George muttered.  
  
"Oh that's right," agreed Fred, "cause what you're doing is so much worse!"  
  
Hermione felt a little dizzy, she knew that she had to get Harry and Ron away from this conversation. She tried to pull them back again but they just ignored her, paying rapt attention to the fight.  
  
"There is nothing wrong with what I'm doing!" George yelled at Fred, flushing a deep crimson.   
  
"Oh no, nothing wrong at all!" Fred furiously yelled back. "If you really believe that then why don't we go in and have a little chat with Ron? Why don't we go tell him that you've been going after the girl that you know he has a crush on? Let's go tell him that you kissed Hermione!" George took a threatening step towards Fred but Ron's voice cut in.  
  
"I do not like Hermione!" He yelled coming out from the bushes, and then he paused, the true implications of what Fred had said were sinking in, "y...you kissed Hermione?"  
  
Fred and George had both spun to look when Ron had yelled out. Fred looked desperately at his twin and then at Ron, Hermione could tell that he hadn't intended Ron to find out. Both twins just stood quietly looking at the ground. Ron spun to face Hermione.  
  
"You kissed my brother?" He hissed at her. Hermione had never seen him so angry, his face was white, his voice was eerily calm. He stepped towards her but Harry moved in front of her.   
  
"Ron," he said softly, "Ron you need to calm down."  
  
"Calm down!" he hissed, "I won't calm down, not with a brother that can't be trusted and that...that scarlet woman standing there!"   
  
Hermione flinched at these words, he had called her lots of names before, but he really meant this one. Ron mean while had turned and walked stiffly away from them into the night. Hermione stood thinking. She then plunged into the darkness after Ron not knowing if she wanted to apologize or smack him.  
  
"Hermione!" George called after her but Fred grabbed his arm.  
  
"Let her go George," he said softly.  
  
Hermione looked miserably for Ron in the blackness, the Weasley's yard seemed much bigger in the dark. There was absolutely no sign of him. "Where would he go?" She asked herself. She continued to walk silently and eventually came upon the pond that she had found him by earlier. He was standing there now, leaning against a tree, looking out at the water.   
  
"Ron?" She said approaching him cautiously. He ignored her. "Ron, I don't understand why you're so mad. I would think that you'd be happy for me." Ron just gave a derisive laugh. She stood in front of him now, his arms were crossed in front of him, he refused to make eye contact.   
  
"Why should I be happy for you? You're using my brother while you date Vicky." He snapped.  
  
"But I'm not dating Viktor anymore." He looked at her now, surprise overwhelming his anger for a fleet moment, a very fleet moment. "We broke up this afternoon." She added hoping that this might help.  
  
"Oh and that's supposed to make what you've done forgivable?" He asked in that eerie voice of his.  
  
"What's to forgive?" She snapped back at him, she could feel her anger rising. "You hate Viktor! Why should it bother you if I breakup with him and date George? That's not logical Ron, I don't understand why this would bother you."  
  
"You don't understand why this would bother me?" He growled, "How can you not understand? It seems so obvious to everyone else!"  
  
"Well it's not obvious to me!" Hermione retorted; she was getting so angry that her head was starting to pound.   
  
"You know Hermione, for someone as smart as you, you sure can be stupid sometimes!" Ron was pacing back and forth while yelling at her, his hands clenched tightly by his sides.   
  
Hermione was stunned by what Ron had said; his words hurt so much. She felt tears welling up but another surge of anger forced them back down. Her face had gone white and she was trembling all over. "You have no right," she hissed, "to say those things to me. No right to be mad at me."  
  
Ron's eyes darkened and he stopped pacing very close to her. "You just don't get it do you Hermione?" His voice was low.   
  
Ron suddenly grabbed Hermione and pulled her to him. Pinning her arms to her sides he kissed her. The kiss was brought on by anger but it was soon followed by passion. Hermione didn't even try to break Ron's embrace; she was too surprised. She almost thought that she was going to faint, everything seemed to be rushing quickly by her. The world was spinning. All she could see was Ron; his eyes were closed as he pressed his lips hungrily against hers. She felt her own eyes flutter shut and then imperceptibly leaned closer. And then as suddenly as it started, it came to crashing halt when he let go. He released her arms and stepped back, watching her. Without his strength to keep her standing, Hermione sank silently to the ground. Things stopped spinning and Hermione felt herself start to breathe again. Ron just stood there, she was aware of his eyes burning into her, but she didn't look up. Hermione could see him reach out to her, but then he pulled back. Turning around he walked back towards the Burrow leaving Hermione alone in the night.   
  
  
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**There will be another chapter, however, I think we're nearing the end! :)   



	10. The Decision

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J. K. Rowling, I own nothing.  
  
**Well here is the last chapter! There is a tiny epilogue, but it's just fluff. Thanks so much for everyone that has reviewed; I've really appreciated it.  
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Harry was looking for Hermione. Ron had stormed back into the Burrow only a few moments ago, wild eyed and pale, he had gone straight to his room without a second glance at Harry. Harry had tried to talk to Ron, but there was no answer from his room, and the door was locked. So Harry took the next logical course of action, he went to find Hermione. Harry had some suspicions of what might have occurred outside, but he decided that it would be better to find Hermione and ask before he started jumping to conclusions. As he walked through the jungle that the Weasley's affectionately referred to as their lawn he thought about what had come out earlier that evening. He knew that there had been something that Hermione wasn't telling him, something important. But George? He had never even considered that it might have something to do with George. This would certainly explain the turmoil between the twins. Despite Ron and Hermione's apparent blindness to their relationship, everyone else had figured that it was only a matter of time before Ron told her how he felt. Harry remembered a conversation of Fred, George, and Ginny that he had overheard the morning after the Yule Ball. Ron and Hermione had already left the Gryffindor table and Harry sat with the other three Weasley's slowly eating his breakfast.   
  
"Aww...little Ronniekins has found himself a girlfriend." Fred had said to George while Ginny glowered at them over her plate.  
  
"It's so sweet." George had replied, giving a loud sniff and wiping his eyes. "Soon we'll have to send off wedding invitations."   
  
"Oh shove off you two, we don't even know if Hermione likes Ron." Ginny had said as she tore a muffin into pieces. She was still a little sore about the way Ron had acted towards Hermione about the whole Krum thing.   
  
"Well you could be of service in that area, sister dear." Fred draped an arm around Ginny and smiled down at her.  
  
"You could, perhaps, talk to Hermione. Or better yet, read her diary, you must help us oh most beautiful Weasley in the world." George had gotten down on his knees and was begging.  
  
"I most certainly will not!" Ginny yelled, shoving both of them away from her. But Harry could see that she was holding back a grin. Her eyes were glinting merrily.  
  
"Well, we don't know for sure that Ron has a crush on Hermione. Do we?" Harry had asked.  
  
Remembering this question Harry chuckled to himself, he couldn't believe that there had ever been a time when Ron's infatuation hadn't been obvious to him. Actually, it had probably been that conversation that had really opened his eyes to it. So Fred and George had known about Ron's secret, even before Harry had figured it out. Harry wasn't surprised though; the Weasley's were all rather close-knit. Fred must have been furious with George when he had found out about Hermione. George had known about Ron's feelings and had kissed Hermione anyway. Harry paused thoughtfully by a large tree and leaned against it. His objective of finding Hermione had momentarily faded from his mind as he tried to recall everything that had to do with George, Ron, and Hermione; looking for clues to explain this whole mess. There really weren't any though, there weren't any answers. Harry began to notice that it was really dark out here. What little light that shown down from the Cheshire moon only served to elongate shadows into monstrous shapes around him.  
  
"Hermione?" He called her name but the only answer was the perpetual summer breeze rustling leaves in the surrounding trees. Harry was starting to worry now. He had always felt perfectly safe at the Burrow, but he had never really thought about what other magical creatures might live here besides the gnomes. Now he could picture large and very toothy monsters hunting Hermione down. "Maybe she got lost," he muttered to himself, he was becoming very worried that she had indeed gotten lost. The Weasley's yard seemed much larger now than it had earlier. He figured that she would be rather frightened. But when he found her, he discovered that he was wrong. Harry had finally reached the pond at the end of the Weasley's yard; he had helped Ron catch frogspawn there earlier that day. Hermione sat now in a small clearing, her back to him, gazing at a few fireflies that buzzed cheerfully above the murky water.   
  
"Hermione?" He called softly to her, but she gave no sign that she had heard him. Harry gave a great sigh, he really hated getting involved in Ron and Hermione's fights, but there so often wasn't a choice. Figuring that his fate had already been decided, Harry sat down next to her.   
  
Hermione ignored Harry. She didn't really feel like talking about anything at the moment. She was still to busy trying to remember everything that happened. She sat pouring over every detail of her fight with Ron trying to find a reason to explain what had happened. Why had he kissed her? She couldn't understand it was such a hateful thing to do. How could Ron just go and make her feel all those things and then just leave. He had done it in a fit of rage, nothing else. Hermione shuddered slightly as she remembered his cold eyes. But the kiss hadn't been cold. His embrace had sent delightful chills through her, but he had taken it away, and he had left her here.   
  
"Hermione, what happened?" Harry asked her. Hermione glanced over at Harry's worried face and sighed deeply wondering what she should tell him, what she could tell him. She looked out through the trees and was silent. The seconds ticked by, turning into minutes. She could tell that Harry had given up on getting her to talk, but it was nice that he was willing to just sit here with her. Hermione decided that he deserved the truth, about everything, about George if he wanted.   
  
"Ron kissed me," she said in a whispered voice, but in the quiet clearing it seemed to reverberate off the trees sounding much louder than she had intended. She was afraid to say it. Admitting that Ron had done something so mean hurt her deeply and made it all the more real. Again she felt tears well up, "Ron can always make me cry," she thought angrily and dashed the tears back down. She looked sideways at Harry, waiting for his reaction. She had expected shock and surprise, but Harry didn't react at all. He was now very busy watching the fireflies chase each other around the pond. A few frogs were now making their presence known. "Ron kissed me," she repeated again, hating the words, but wanting Harry to say something.  
  
"Oh." Hermione turned to look at Harry, that was his answer? That was his response?  
  
"You don't seem very surprised Harry." She could feel herself getting angry again. "Of course he knew," she thought angrily, "Ron tells Harry everything, he must have told Harry how much he dislikes me." Hermione was going to say more, let her fury break over Harry, but as suddenly as it had appeared it was gone. Harry met her eyes and he could see how deeply she was hurt.   
  
"Why didn't you tell me that Ron hated me?" Hermione whispered in a deeply wounded voice.   
  
"Wh...what? You think Ron hates you? Are you crazy?" Harry spluttered, of all the things that Hermione could think, how had she come to this conclusion? If everything wasn't so serious he could have laughed. Ron and Hermione always got so stupid when it came to dealing with each other.   
  
"Well then why would he do that? Why would he make me feel those things just to prove that he could?" With her anger gone she was finding it harder and harder to hold back tears.   
  
"Hermione," Harry began carefully, not wanting to say too much. "Ron doesn't hate you, I don't think he could. He cares to much for you, don't you understand?" He was hoping that she'd understand, wishing that she'd stop asking him. Harry didn't want to see Hermione upset, but he didn't want to betray Ron either.  
  
"Harry... what are you trying to say?" Hermione looked at him searchingly.  
  
"Hermione, you need to talk to Ron about this. Please understand." Harry hoped that this would be enough. Hermione seemed to think over his words. She nodded her head and returned to watching the fireflies.   
  
After sitting in silence for a few more minutes, Harry decided to take a different approach to their conversation.   
  
"So... you and George?" Harry couldn't tell for sure, but he could swear that Hermione had just blushed a deep crimson that would put all the Weasleys to shame. She started to pick at the grass surrounding them.  
  
"I...I don't know what's going on with George. It just kind of happened. We haven't even talked about it." Hermione rested her chin on her knees and thought of George, what was she going to do about it all?  
  
"I don't want to interfere or anything, but don't you think the two of you should talk about it?" Harry asked. He didn't know how he felt about the idea of Hermione with George, but all of this needed to be resolved.  
  
"We've tried to talk, it leads to... trouble." She muttered guiltily.   
  
"Oh." Harry responded again.   
  
"Harry," Hermione struggled to maintain control of her emotions, knowing that it was a losing battle as water started to blur the corners of her eyes. "Harry, I don't know what to do."   
  
Harry draped an arm around her shoulders as Hermione gave up and let the tears streak down her face. She hated crying, it made her feel so weak. But Harry didn't mind.  
  
"It'll be okay, you'll see." He said soothingly. And they both returned to watching the dancing fireflies.  
  
Ron stood at his window looking out at the yard. Every few minutes he would lightly knock his head against the frame cursing his own stupidity.  
  
"Idiot!" He hissed at himself. "Had to go and make a fool of yourself didn't you Ron? Had to get upset and kiss her." He scanned the dark shapes looking for a sign of her, but there was nothing to see except a few Gnomes taking midnight strolls. He had been at this window for an hour now. Ever since he had come back inside he had waited for her. He hated the fact that he desperately needed to see her, even if only for a moment.   
  
"She'll probably hate me now." He groaned thinking that from now on the only time that he would ever get to see Hermione would be when she didn't know that he was watching. "She'll date George, she'll fall in love with George, she'll marry George, and I'll get to be Uncle Ron. It's not fair; why I can't I ever have one thing to myself? Just this one thing, why can't I have her?" He hit his head against the frame again, this time a little bit harder than he had intended.   
  
He hated the fact that he couldn't stop thinking about Hermione. He didn't know when this had happened. When had she suddenly become the most important thing to him? He couldn't quite remember. It seemed like one day he had just woken up thinking about her and since then hadn't been able to get her out of his head. He hated it. She made him so mad. Nobody could make him as angry as she could. Hermione always knew what buttons to push with him.   
  
"Argh...this is stupid!" He angrily turned away from the window. Pig was happily pruning his feathers in the corner. It took him a great of time to prune now that he was plaid; he liked to have the pattern match up perfectly. Ron watched his owl ruffle it's feathers again and again, trying very hard not to think about Hermione. Not to think about Hermione liking George. Not to think about Hermione kissing George. The image made him feel sick. The twins had shut themselves up in their room as well. No sounds emitted from their end of the hallway and Mrs. Weasley was being somewhat lax about her 'no closed door policy'.   
  
"She didn't do anything," Ron said miserably as he sat down on his bed. "She just stood there, she didn't even say anything to me, probably to horrified. Who wouldn't be? She had just gotten kissed by me." It just all seemed so unfair to Ron. He didn't understand how George could betray him that way, how she could betray him that way, as if Krum weren't bad enough. As Ron lay on his back glaring at the ceiling, another thought about Hermione entered his head, one that he had been trying not think about. And that was the kiss itself, Ron could barely describe it, everything about it seemed right, except for the fact that Hermione didn't react at all of course. He had felt wonderful when he had done it. For that brief moment he wasn't angry, he wasn't lonely, he wasn't feeling like the lowliest Weasley. All he could think of was how soft Hermione's lips were and how nice she smelled. And now she knew, now the damage was done. He wasn't sure if they'd be friends again after all of this, but he did know that he wouldn't give up that kiss if he could go back and change things.  
  
Hermione and Harry walked back to the house. Hermione had cheered up a great deal and was now telling Harry about as many of Viktor's Quidditch moves as she could remember. Harry wished he had some parchment so that he could take notes. While Harry had raw talent, Viktor had years of experience. They had just reached the kitchen door when it swung out in front of them.  
  
"Where have you been?" A glowering Mrs. Weasley stood before them, a robe thrown hastily over her nightgown. "Out of bed at this time of night! What would your relatives say if they knew I was letting two underage wizards run around after dark together! Totally unsupervised! And Hermione, I thought you had a boyfriend!"   
  
"We weren't doing anything!" Harry and Hermione both answered immediately.  
  
"And I broke up with Viktor earlier today." Hermione said this in a soft voice. Mrs. Weasley, who was about to let them know just what she had thought that they were doing, immediately softened her expression and wrapped an arm around Hermione.  
  
"Oh you poor dear, I didn't know. He was too old for you anyway." She tutted and led Hermione to the table. "Sit here and I'll make us a cup of tea."   
  
Hermione glanced at Harry who was still standing on the step. He nodded encouragingly at her and then slipped up into the hallway when Mrs. Weasley turned her back. Hermione sat in the kitchen for at least an hour with Mrs. Weasley telling her about the visit with Viktor and today's picnic. Mrs. Weasley agreed that if Hermione wasn't in love with Viktor then she was right to break it off. After several cups of tea, Mrs. Weasley finally stood up and put the teacups into the sink.  
  
"Well dear, we should go to bed now, it is very late." Mrs. Weasley whispered something under her breath and the lights turned off. "Oh no, I forgot. A letter came from your parents, that is what woke me up originally. That dratted owl flew around the living room hooting for ten minutes. I left the letter in there for you."   
  
Hermione smiled warmly at Mrs. Weasley as the older woman went up the stairs, and then Hermione ran into the living room to find her letter. It sat folded on a small, rickety table. She picked it up with shaky hands, she had almost forgotten about her parents and uncle, but with the letter in her hands there was no way to avoid it.  
  
Dear Hermione,  
  
How are you dear? Your mother and I are fine, better than fine in fact. Your Uncle is going to be all right. I'm still not exactly sure what happened. We were all certain that he was going to die. But the other day he walked into the kitchen and made himself a cup of coffee and demanded pancakes for breakfast. Your uncle wasn't even aware of how sick he had been or that time had passed. Needless to say, he was rather surprised to find most of his family sleeping in his parlor. We'll stay a few more days before heading back. I know that your summer is almost over so if you want to stay with your friends that will be fine. To be quite honest, as much as your mother wants to see you, I think she needs a vacation. How is Majorca this time of year?   
  
Love Dad and Mum   
  
Hermione smiled to herself and reread the letter. Her uncle was going to be fine. She was so happy, all thoughts of Ron and George faded from her mind for a moment or two, she almost wanted to do a little jig. She yawned and realized how sleepy she was. She trudged up the stairs and into Ginny's room.   
  
"I think I can stay awake long enough to finish Durmstrang: a beginning." She said softly to Crookshanks who immediately wrapped his ginger body around her ankles.   
  
"Oh that sounds like a lot of fun."  
  
Hermione had covered her mouth to keep back the small shriek that had formed there. In the darkness she hadn't noticed George sitting on the floor.  
  
"George!" She hissed angrily, "You scared me! What're you doing here?"   
  
"I didn't mean to scare you...I just thought we should talk." He looked away from her. Hermione looked down at him and then sighed, dropping to the floor in front of him. "I'm sorry about earlier Hermione, I didn't mean for Ron...and Harry to find out. Fred hadn't meant to say anything in front of them either."  
  
"I know that George, it's just confusing right now. Ron is furious at me, I'm not even sure why. I think Harry knows but he won't tell me. Do you know?" Hermione asked George making him meet her gaze. She had the feeling that everyone in this house knew what was going on except for her and it was starting to make her angry. Ron was being a prat and no one would tell her why, least of all Ron.   
  
"What happened when you went after Ron? What did he say?" George felt incredibly guilty; he knew why Ron was so angry. Fred had been right, he had gone after Hermione knowing full well that Ron had feelings for her, but he had wanted to be selfish.   
  
Hermione looked away from him before she spoke, "He didn't say anything really, nothing that made sense at least. He just yelled at me and then he...he left."  
  
George watched Hermione as she spoke, her eyes were focused on something far away, her hands were twisting together in her lap, and a faint blush rose on her cheeks. George knew it was a losing battle. "He kissed you didn't he?"   
  
Hermione looked up George, startled. "What? Does everybody know? Am I the only one that didn't get the memo?"  
  
"Memo?" George asked weakly as Hermione glared at him.  
  
"Oh never mind," she snapped angrily. She stood up quickly and started pacing around the room muttering to herself. "Everyone seems to know what's going on. Ron has gone crazy, but only I think so, it seems perfectly normal to everyone else. But no one has taken the time to explain it to me. What, does he hate me? I don't understand. This is all so stupid." Her voice was rising as she spoke making George glance warily at the door, waiting to see if a light in the hallway was going to come on. "And then he has the nerve to go and kiss me, and to kiss me like that, how dare he!" Hermione was trying to find words to describe the kiss but was having great difficulties. She had spent the last several hours trying not to ponder the kiss too much. Whenever she did she felt overcome with different emotions. The kiss had been so full of passion, anger, fear, and something else that Hermione couldn't quite identify. Some spark in Ron's eyes right before he pulled away from her, something so familiar, something deeper than all the other emotions that had made up the kiss. Only Ron had been able to kiss her like that and it angered her because it obviously meant nothing to him.   
  
"Hermione don't be silly," George grabbed her hand and pulled her back down onto the floor. "Ron doesn't hate you. He's just being a stupid git who doesn't know how to tell a girl that he loves her." He suddenly paused wishing that he hadn't said that because he felt Hermione stiffen next to him.  
  
"L...Loves? Ron doesn't love me, well as a friend, of course. You can't mean what you're saying, you can't, it's Ron. He loves chess, Quidditch, and the Chudley Cannons, not me." But Hermione was starting to see all the pieces fit together in her mind. The way Ron had acted last year at the Yule Ball, how upset he had been when he had found out that she had gone to Bulgaria. She remembered Viktor's words from the picnic.  
  
"At Hogvarts I thought at first that it vas Harry, but then I noticed the other boy. I noticed how he vould vatch you..."   
  
Hermione stared at the wall thinking hard, could Ron possibly be in love with her? Was that what this was all about? She suddenly remembered what Fred had said to George about Hermione being Ron's crush. She hadn't even thought about it earlier, she had been to horrified by the rest of it. Ron had immediately denied it, almost to vehemently, she thought. And the kiss had been so powerful. Hermione felt a tingle ripple through her body as her mind asked the words, "Ron loves you?" And Hermione was startled to realize that she wanted him to, she wanted Ron to love her.   
  
George was watching her with a worried expression, he liked Hermione, he felt like he watching some horrific accident. He knew what was going to happen but just couldn't look away. He decided that he had better do something. George reached out and desperately grabbed Hermione and pulled her to him pressing his lips to hers before she could say anything. He liked kissing her; she was so soft and warm. She kissed him back tentatively and he knew that he had already lost.   
  
Hermione felt that same light-headedness that she had felt all the other times George had kissed her. That spark of spontaneity flashed between them and she liked that. She leaned closer to him, closed her eyes, and saw Ron. With a gasp she pulled back away from him.   
  
"I...I'm sorry George," she whispered seeing his hurt look. "I just can't, I'm sorry."   
  
"Is it that bad Hermione?" He asked her, already knowing that he didn't want to hear the answer.  
  
"I saw Ron." Her voice was so low it was almost inaudible. George looked at the floor and said nothing.   
  
"I don't know if there can ever be anything between Ron and I, but I know that I already love him more than I've ever loved anyone else. I don't know why it's taken me so long to realize." Hermione was looking at George, her eyes pleading with his to let her go.   
  
"Then you should be talking to him then." George replied, his dark blue eyes finally meeting hers.   
  
Hermione held his gaze, "I care about you so much, and I know this sounds cliqued, but I need you as a friend. I don't know what I'd do if there came a time when we weren't friends." Hermione held her breath, she hated herself for this, for causing so much pain all in the same day.  
  
George smiled at her, "we'll still be friends Hermione, in fact, I promise to hex your eggs tomorrow morning."   
  
Hermione threw her arms around and George and hugged him tight. "Thank you George, thank you."  
  
"Go on Hermione, they're still up you know," he nodded towards the ceiling where they could hear the distant voices of Ron and Harry. She stood up and smiled at him, hoping she looked braver than she felt. What if they were wrong? What if she was wrong? What if Ron just laughed at her? She felt a little sick as she placed her hand on the doorknob.   
  
"Hermione?" She turned to look back at George, it was to dark to see his face but his voice was oddly muffled. "He's lucky you know." She smiled at him and walked out the door.  
  
She reached Ron's door a little sooner than she would have liked. As her fingers touched the handle all the words that she thought up to say vanished. Hermione took a deep breath and walked into the room.   
  
"Oi! Haven't you ever heard of knocking?!" Ron snapped at her. Hermione pointedly ignored this and turned to Harry.  
  
"Harry, I need to talk to Ron." Hermione looked at the door and Harry nodded, a slight grin beginning to form on his face. He jumped to his feet and started towards the door. Hermione turned to Ron again.  
  
"And just what do you need to talk to me about that you can't talk about to my brother?" He snapped at her. Mentally Ron smacked himself, he had spent the last hour thinking up witty things to say to Hermione to make up for his temper but his brain and his mouth just weren't listening to each other. Harry shook his head at him wearily as he left the room.   
  
"Ron I'm sorry about George, it never occurred to me that it would upset you." Hermione stepped forward a little.  
  
"Well it doesn't bother me! You can do whatever you want! It's not like I care!" Ron growled at her. Hermione tried not to smile; it had been only too obvious how much it upset Ron. She realized though that now would not be a good time to look amused.   
  
"Ron please, I was talking to George and he helped me figure out some..." But Ron cut in angrily.  
  
"Oh and when were you talking to George? Harry said that you were with him the whole time outside and then with Mum in the kitchen, when did George get to you?"  
  
"Well he was waiting for me in Ginny's room but that's not the point of why I'm here. As I was saying we were talking and I realized some things and I think we should..."  
  
"Oh talking I'm sure. I'll bet you two have done a lot of talking." Ron cut in again; he had gotten to his feet and was going very red.  
  
"Ron!" Hermione snapped. "Stop interrupting me, it's hard enough to get this out! I was thinking about when we kissed, and the other times that I've been kissed and everything seemed to fit into place..."  
  
"Oh all the other times you've been kissed. Is that what you two were talking about? What were you comparing me to my brother or to Krum?" The color seemed to suddenly drain from his face and Hermione could see the hurt in his eyes.  
  
"Oh Ron don't be ridiculous!" Hermione reached up a hand to touch his cheek but he stepped back angrily.  
  
"Of course what did I expect you to do? It was obvious when I kissed you. I should have known that you were just comparing me to George, wanting to race back and tell him, tell him how much you want him." He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Hermione was just staring at him. She had no idea that she could hurt him so. And then she smiled at him when that little voice in the back of her mind whispered, "and he can hurt you just as much."  
  
"Ron," Hermione stepped slowly towards him, "you just don't get it, do you?"  
  
"Oh I get it all right, I understand fine, I understand that..." but whatever it was that Ron understood was completely lost when Hermione took his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his in order to silence him. This time Ron was the one who was to surprised to do anything. Hermione continued to kiss him though, it was easy to ignore all her doubts when she kissed him, it felt so right. She felt again all the emotions of the last kiss, but this time she was the one kissing with them. Ron simply stood, his arms at his side, afraid to move. Afraid that if he did anything at all she would disappear. Hermione broke the kiss and looked up into his astonished blue eyes.  
  
"Don't you get it Ron? I want you, only you."   
  
Ron didn't need anymore prompting. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and brought his lips down to meet hers. He ran his hands up her back letting her soft curls wrap around his hands. He could feel her smile as he kissed her and he smiled back. He knew that the whole world had stopped to watch them.   
  
  
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**There is an epilogue.... And then that's it!!!   



	11. Epilogue

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J. K. Rowling. I own nothing.  
  
**Here's the epilogue so that means that this is the end. I just want to warn you know that this contains fluff, we're talking jar of marshmallow fluff here... I just wanted to leave things on a happy note. :)  
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Hermione sat in the Gryffindor common room, her Arithmancy book on a table in front of her. Not much had changed since they had returned to school two months ago. She happily flipped a page with her free hand and continued to read.  
  
"Hermione when are you going to finish reading that blasted book?"  
  
Hermione looked down into Ron's bright blue eyes, they were a-light with amusement. His head had been resting in her lap for the past hour while he waited diligently for her to finish studying. Her fingers were wrapped in his bright red hair.   
  
"I only have one more chapter to read and then I'm done." She smiled at him.  
  
"What? Don't tell me you fell behind in your reading?" He asked her playfully. Ron would love to find out that she had somehow managed to become lax with her homework.  
  
"Ron," she gasped, "don't be ridiculous, of course not. I'm just trying to get a couple months ahead so that I can focus on the OWLS, they're only six months away. You should start preparing too." She told him gently, Hermione knew that Ron hated it when she nagged about homework.  
  
Ron sat up right catching her hand before she could pull it away. "Are you telling me that I've been sitting here for the past hour doing nothing so that you can get a few months ahead on your reading?"  
  
"Well no one asked you to stay, I didn't know it was such torture for you!" Hermione snapped and tried to yank her wrist out of his grasp. It wasn't as if she had made him stay.   
  
Ron tugged firmly on her arm and she lost her balance and felt back onto the couch landing in his lap. He caressed her cheek with his hand and kissed the tip of her nose. "I'm only kidding Hermione, you're just very cute when you're mad."   
  
She smiled at him and kissed him. The kiss was as good as the first one, better in fact, it seemed that every kiss got a little better. Everyone else seemed to vanish from the common room, she was only aware of Ron, his mouth, his face, his hands on her face, her arm, and her back. "Wait," she thought distantly, "how can his hands be around my back?" But suddenly she was jerked away from Ron and up over the back of the couch. She cried out as Fred handed her to George who easily tossed her over his shoulder Viking style and started to march away. The entire common room howled with laughter as Fred held Ron back and Hermione kicked out at George.  
  
"George! What do you think you're doing?" She cried finally landing one firm kick into his backside.  
  
"Ouch Hermione!" But George put her down, a large grin plastered on his face. "I wanted to talk to you." He draped an arm around her and walked over to a deserted table.  
  
"Do you need help with your charms essay again? No wait, that was Fred." Hermione sat down at the table and George pulled a chair up next to her and took her hand. "Um George, do you need to hold my hand?" She asked sweetly.  
  
"Nah, but it's driving Ron crazy!" George looked back over his shoulder at Ron who was still being held back by Fred, being a beater did have it's advantages. "I wanted to ask your advice, Alicia's birthday is next week, what do you think she'd like more? A singing tarantula or a pet bat? I was leaning towards the pet bat, but Fred says a tarantula that can sing 'beautiful dreamer' is more romantic."  
  
Hermione smiled at George, things had been a little awkward between them at first. He had bewitched her breakfast just like he had promised though. It had been a little hard to eat because the scrambled eggs had insisted on dancing around her plate. Things got back to normal fairly quickly though. Angelina and Fred had broken up so George was reunited with his twin. They hadn't stayed broken up for long though, Angelina had come to visit the week before they were supposed to leave for Hogwarts and she had brought along her friend and fellow chaser Alicia Spinnet. With Fred paired off with Angelina, it had been natural for George and Alicia to get together, and it had stuck.   
  
"Well George, those sound like good ideas, but how about some flowers and a box of chocolate frogs?" Hermione was happy sitting here with George; she was so happy that they were friends.  
  
George squeezed her hand and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Thanks Hermione. Oh, I better go, Ron's broken loose." Hermione glanced up to see Ron hurrying across the common room looking very similar to Percy with his deeply disapproving expression. Hermione walked over to meet him and took his hands.   
  
"Hey Ron," Harry came down the stairs from the boys dorm, "we've got Quidditch practice in ten minutes, don't forget." He beamed at them both.  
  
Hermione smiled warmly at Ron purposely distracting him from George who had darted out of the portrait hole with Fred. "C'mon, I'll get my books and come watch you guys." Ron had been made Keeper when they got back to Hogwarts. Hermione was very proud of him. He rushed up the stairs to get his broom while Hermione quickly packed up her bag. She folded up a letter that had arrived from Viktor the other day and placed it in her Arithmancy book to mark her page. Viktor was doing well; the Bulgarian team was hoping to take the World Cup next year. And he was planning on visiting Hogwarts sometime in the spring. Ron slipped his arms around Hermione and kissed her neck.   
  
"Are you done?" He asked looking at the book in her hand.  
  
She smiled as she put the book away and turned so that she could kiss him back. "Yeah, I'm done."  
  
  
  
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**Okay you guys, thanks again for reviewing. You've made my first fan fic experience enjoyable. Please let me know how you thought the whole fic was.   



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